Last Chance (Rewritten)
by MightyDesoto
Summary: The team is confronted with a new challenge as Paine unleashes a new weapon. But there is inner turmoil as Shark finds himself in two conflicting situations: Express his love and win over Lioness or defeat Paine and keep the team together? In his struggle, Shark is pushed over the limit. He soon finds that sacrifice comes with both.
1. Reckless Boredom

Disclaimer/ introduction

It has been several years since I've been active on Fanfiction but all the while I have continued writing sporadically. Over the years my style (as I would like to believe) has matured and improved. But alas I think it is still incomplete and the only way I can improve it is to write more than what I have been. Therefore I decided to go back to my old fanfictions and rewrite them with my updated style. This way I can continue to improve and gain feedback to see if I'm good enough to make it in the writer world and boost my confidence.

Important: However the show A.T.O.M has long since been off air where I live. The show was also cancelled so I never got to see it progress to however far it did. So in other words, from the original airdate of my fanfictions till today, I have had no contact with the show. My knowledge of it is feint and all clues I have to the show environment is what I can pick up from the dialogue and storyline I have from my original story (which is rough). The correlation and accuracy of this story to the show is miniscule and although the storyline is the same it has been redone with the hopes of a more complete and smoothly flowing composition like that of a novel and not a recreation of the show. If you enjoy the concept of certain characters, then please, enjoy.

* * *

Last Chance (Rewritten)

The summer sun was bright and carefree as it bore down upon Landmark city. It passed over the buildings and trees, casting shadows for those bold enough to stand before it. But nothing glimmered more brightly in the light than the tinted windowpanes of the renovated aquarium building on the edge of town. Filled with creatures of another sort, no one would have suspected that within it lay the government's newest and most advanced technology. Motorcycles, jeeps, jetpacks and more all ready to soar out onto the open road and show the world what they could do. But within the garage they rested silently, their riders in no need of them. The city was quiet. It was safe, at least, for the time being. Like their mechanical counterparts, the riders waited for their call to action. When the city was safe, they could rest. But resting . . . was not in their nature. Bored with the cities lack of crisis, one rider found it extra hard to stay entertained. Clad in blue shorts, loose over shirt, and white T, as if lounging in a bungalow, Shark starred up into the glass panes of the ceiling. His blonde hair slightly misshapen from his boredom, Shark found it hard to even watch the television in front of him.

Tilting his head to hang over the back of the couch, even the reminiscent décor of the aquarium did little to lift his spirits. His attempts at amusement through jokes had left his friends even more agitated with their own boredom. Watching the living room from upside down, he could see Axel concentrating hard on the tricks he was performing with a soccer ball, a sport Shark was neither interested in nor good at. At the Table King had spread out a buffet of food, of which Shark had quickly found that attempting to eat was a death sentence. But there was a potential for fun when out of the elevator came the signature green pants and swaying hips of his favorite cat, Lioness. She strolled casually over to King who greedily enjoyed his food. As he reached out for a plate full of ketchup covered fries, Lioness forced him to a halt as she snatched one up before he could stop her. King gave a scowl as she walked behind him, giving him a teasing wave of the fry before eating it. He pouted a few more seconds before nearly inhaling the rest of his meal in order to prevent any more curious hands from intruding.

Lioness plopped down onto the couch a little ways from Shark to see what was on the television. Shark lifted his head and gave her a small smirk at her sneakiness. When he had attempted that same thing, King had given him a beating enough to scare him straight. He went to say something but was cut off as Axel suddenly lost control of his ball and sent it flying across the room. The two were forced to duck as it soared over them and smacked King square in the back of the head, forcing his face into his plate of fires. The room went silent for a minute except for the dying bounce of the ball as it came to a halt on the floor nearby. As if rising from the grave, King lifted his head with his face covered in ketchup and various fries stuck to his cheeks and forehead. The room exploded in laughter upon the reveal causing King to whirl around so fast that several fries were tossed from his face. Steam nearly blew from his ears as Axel calmed his laughing.

"Whoops, sorry about that," was all he could muster with a shrug of his shoulders and halfhearted smile.

Shark managed to contain his laugh to a giggle and wiped a tear away from his eye. Lioness however was already over the incident and picked up a magazine to thumb through, although a small smile still lingered in the corner of her mouth. Despite the retaliation that was almost certain to follow, Shark found his gaze lingering on the woman. He loved that little smirk that she often held, especially when it lingered upon her lips. It meant that she was happy, content with the way things were. He liked it so much Shark often found himself trying to keep it there. It was no secret that he was the clown of the group. But every joke and comment had a purpose. There was a sudden rush behind the couch as King pounced from the table towards Axel.

"Whoa! Back off King!" Axel managed to shout before he darted across the room in an attempt to avoid the arms of King eagerly trying to snatch him out of the air in payback.

"You'll regret ever touching that ball when I get my hands on you!" King shouted as he furiously chased Axel back and forth across the living room while dodging furniture and people in the process. Down the hall, Hawk was in his bedroom and gave a roll of the eyes at the commotion just out of sight, so uncivilized.

Despite how amusing the chase was, Shark found his eyes once again falling onto Lioness. Even through all the commotion and drama, she always seemed unfazed by it. Like a palm on the beach, he always thought to himself. Beautiful and sturdy, one who could catch sunlight and watch the waves all day yet withstand the most furious of winds and weather, a true beach beauty. Shark gave a soft smile as the thought comforted him as he watched her. Palms and the beach, two of his most favorite things.

Feeling a pair of eyes upon her, Lioness looked up from her book and was surprised to see Shark gently staring at her. Shark's cheeks flushed a slight red as he gave an embarrassed smile having been caught in the act of staring. He quickly turned his head towards the TV as if he was actually interested in what was on in the hopes of playing it off. Lioness felt her heart do a small jump in her chest. And when she realized it was because of the way he was looking at her, she felt her own cheeks flush ever so slightly. Lioness suddenly found it difficult to look at the man lounging in front of her. As if something would be interpreted differently than how they normally were. Lioness suddenly had the urge to move. She couldn't sit on the couch any longer. The woman quickly rose and walked toward the garage. Shark pretended not to notice since he had already been caught watching her once already. Lioness somewhat desperately searched for something to do that did not involve sitting on the couch. It was then that as she passed the billboard the woman noticed the paperwork that the team had just recently finished in regards to the new upgrades that had been installed on their vehicles. This was the perfect time to test them out.

"Eh, boys!" she yelled back towards the team, "Let's go test out those upgrades we got from Lee". The boys looked up at her suggestion. An excuse to go out and ride into the city with their beloved toys? It was an offer to good to pass up. Shark quickly jumped up out of the cushions and but his arms behind his head while heading for the door.

"I'm In!" he responded, only too eager to get out and polish up his skills. Already left behind as Lioness and Shark descended down into the garage, Axel and King seized their grappling and simultaneously gave a "Wait for me!" They dodged past Lioness as she came back up the stairs and gave a shout out for Hawk down the hall.

"Hawk! Time to play! Vamos!"

Although Hawk was too proud to admit he enjoyed riding with everyone else, his spring like action in response to her words would have given his excitement away if not for the privacy of his room. He paused a moment to give his reflection in the mirror a wink as he passed before quickly hurrying down the hall after the others. Gearing up their suits, putting on their helmets, and revving their engines, the team was ready for a little exercise.


	2. Warehouse 7

There was a flash of orange, black, and green as three bikes flew down the road followed by the distinct yellow and blue decal of the dragster. Overhead the sound of a jet streaked by as Hawk found his way above the group. With the ease of a sailor upon his ship, the team weaved in and out of traffic, passing the common folk without so much as a glance. Already having raced through the back roads, it was Lioness who had turned out the victor as she led the team into the city. There was a certain beauty to their movements as they skimmed the sides of cars by a hair's breathe, unafraid and unhindered by other motorists.

Traffic lights meant little as they bobbed and weaved swifter and smarter than any mathematician, sliding and jumping over cars to avoid hitting the brakes. The team owned the streets, not just because they protected them but because they could stream through them like salmon up a river. As the thrill of racing died down, the team was able to enjoy the low rumble of the bikes and sound of tires screeching across the pavement as they passed through the city. As they began to leave city limits, they turned down onto the bridge crossing over the river that coursed through Landmark City's east side. Flying low above the bikes to avoid the coils and beams of the bridge, Hawk looked down to the bikes as Axel and King pulled alongside Lioness.

"Hey, I've got a cool place for us to check out if anybody is interested," Hawk said as he opened the channel between the communicators embedded in their helmets.

"Really?" Lioness broke in with a strong hint of skepticism. "The last time we went to one of your _cool_ places it turned out to be a total drag."

"It's not my fault that they were closed for renovations!" Hawk interrupted before she could fully revive the rather embarrassing situation he had put them in on their previous excursion through the city.

"Haha, I remember that!" Shark began already anticipating the playful harassment. But before he could continue King beat him to it.

"Renovations? Are you sure about that? Because it sure looked like they were closed down to me!"

Axel looked back to his team as if to reprimand them while he pulled ahead.

"Alright alright, we'll take turns then," he insisted as he casually passed by a car with Lioness in tow and King going around the opposite way. "Let's see, we can go. . .,"

Obligated to his own words, Axel glanced up down the road then out across the bridge to see if there was anywhere interesting. Already halfway across the bridge, Axel managed to spot a curious building not too far from the river. His lips turned into a smile as it became clearer in the distance.

"There," he said with his eyes fixated beyond the bridge.

Following his lead, they all looked over towards the building standing out amongst the woods that lined the bank of the river. With a reeve of their engines Axel sped ahead with his team close behind. Once they were off the bridge it took a few moments for the team to arrive. Down a forgotten road, Axel came to a halt as he stopped his bike in front of the building. The sound of cooling engines followed as King pulled up beside him followed by Lioness then Shark. The dust from the Road was tossed up as the team set up their stands and dismounted with Shark closing his door amongst them.

Before them was a warehouse that had long since been forgotten. Axel took off his helmet and placed it on his bike before taking a few steps toward the building. The ground around it was nothing less than a worker's graveyard. Broken bits of glass from windows and bottles were buried in the dirt. Plastic covered several of the broken windows, some of which had been torn and ripped off. Pallets and broken crates were scattered around broken pieces of metal that were jagged and rusted. Overgrown weeds and trees hung close to the building and the darkness of the unrestricted forest nearby cast an eerie shadow along its face. King came up next to Axel with his neck craned up to the sky to look at the massive building.

"I know this place. Warehouse 7, abandoned after an accident killed several people," he said with an air of mystery. "They say that the workers that died still hang around trying to finish the job that had killed them."

"Why the hell would they do that? What's that supposed to mean!" Hawk interjected rather nervously. He was not one to play around with the supernatural.

"It means that it's haunted," Lioness added as she gave him a shifty glance. Hawk gave a shiver with the thought of the creepy and unexplained. The rest of the group meandered closer to the building kicking over some trash and exploring a little.

"It's not like I'm afraid of ghosts or anything but look at this place, I'll get tetanus just by standing here," Hawk said with a motion towards the debris that was scattered around, especially a ragged piece of rebar that seemed to glint at him. With a snicker Shark couldn't pass up the chance to harass the pilot and jumped up behind him with a shout to spook him. Hawk flinched and could not escape the surfer as he waved his hands around Hawk's head with a crazy face.

"Yeah the creepy ghosts are gonna get'cha!" Shark laughed as Hawk batted him away. "Come on Dude I'm only messin' with ya," he said again as Hawk went to go pout off in the corner.

"It wouldn't hurt just to take a look inside," Axel said as he pushed in the broken door with a little finesse. With a few glances inside, Axel lead the way into the building followed by King. Shark and Hawk slowly made their way over toward the door with Lioness dropping some rubble to follow after them. Shark continued harassing the pilot by making strange noises and flailing his arms. As Lioness passed she raised an eyebrow at the two, catching the eye of Shark, who quietly obeyed and stopped harassing his friend. He fell to the back slightly embarrassed. Lioness and Hawk disappeared into the building as Shark sidetracked to investigate some of the multicolored glass left broken by the door.

But in that short moment Shark managed to feel a chill in his bones that turned into a shiver up his spine. Shark quickly looked to the side, then following his gut, stepped back and looked up into the face of the abandoned warehouse. The windows were barred, the wood rotten. Shark narrowed his gaze onto one of the broken windows that seemed to be the source of the feeling. He watched as the torn plastic slightly waved out of the window, rustling with ghost like quality. Shark starred at it for a moment longer before looking back towards the door. He took a step back and turned around to look towards the bikes. They were right where they had left them, undisturbed and ready to go. He took a few steps along each side to raise an eyebrow beyond the rubble in plain sight but there was still nothing. Maybe it was just his imagination or his nerves slightly on edge with that ghost story. Shark scratched his head before stepping inside unaware of the silver eyes that glared down upon him from the broken window.

Shark entered into the dark and dim lobby where chairs had fallen over and papers were still scattered about, tattered and worn by the elements. Several hallways and a pair of large entry doors were set out before him and not a single one gave him a clue into which his friends had followed. Shark gave a sigh, and with a random selection, pushed open the set of doors to the left.

"Man, why am I always the one to get lost," he muttered to himself as he raised his arms behind his head. But the resilient man didn't let it bring him down. He would just have to do some exploring on his own until he ran into them again.

Through the double doors (opposite to the ones Shark just passed) Hawk, Axel, and Lioness explored various offices and eventually found their way to the open floor of the assembly line towards the center of the warehouse. The space was large and open with various equipment still in their rightful place. A few pallets had remained intact and a splash of documents littered the floor.

"Man would you look at all this old stuff," King said as he came up to one of the lines and examined the machinery. Lioness picked up some of the papers on the ground to look at them.

_Strange,_ she thought to herself as she looked at them. As expected most were yellowed and wrinkled with age and damage but there was one that was cleaner, newer.

Meanwhile Axel strolled towards a broken pallet that had spilled onto the ground to check out what was inside. Packaged parts had fallen out but what caught his attention was the way in which they had fallen. Putting his hand to the remaining crate still intact, Axel could see a strong linear burn mark as if the pallet had been cut by a laser. Yet at the same time, the damage on the crate looked as if it had been done internally, like it had been stimulated to rot in the places that had been burned.

"If it was up to me," Hawk began to say as he bent down to the ground to look at the mess. "I would have this junk heap torn down."

In response a rat scurried out from underneath him. Hawk gave a squeal and jumped back utterly disgusted. King gave a laugh and accidently broke one of the robot arms in the process. He quickly put it down before anyone could notice and looked to another piece of machinery nearby. Despite its age, King noticed that there was fresh oil lingering in its joints.

Above the group, a ledge hung over the assembly line along the walls of the factory. Two silver eyes appeared out from the shadows. They were the same set of eyes that had vanished from the window. A figure began to reveal itself out of the shadows as it looked down towards the people below. Jumping onto the rail no louder than a cat, the figure crouched upon it and raised his arm towards his back where a blade as silver as his eyes was sheathed. He grabbed onto its handle and went to pull it out when something caught his attention forcing him to stop. He could feel another inside the warehouse that had wandered off from the others. With one last glance towards the group, the figure quickly jumped off the rail to retreat back into the warehouse. Something was where it shouldn't be.

Nicknamed Lioness for a reason, the woman suddenly felt her sixth sense throw up an alarm. She quickly looked up towards the railing that created the catwalk above them but there was nothing to be seen.

"Something is off about this place," she mentioned to the others as she narrowed her eyes. With a frown, King couldn't help but agree. This place didn't have all the right characteristics of an abandoned warehouse.

"You know I think your right about that," he mentioned as he tossed away the robotics and walked back over towards the others.

"I could have told you that," Hawk insisted as crossed his arms over his chest. Back at the pallet, Axel glared at it. He got nothing but a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Let's get out of here," he said to the group. His discoveries told him that there was more to this warehouse than just a simple ghost story, something that they had blindly walked into. As he began to walk back towards the others Lioness gave a worried glance around the room. Blue, black, orange, where was yellow?

"Where is Shark?" she quickly asked. A flurry of concern came over her when she realized he was not with them. It was one thing to have a gut wrenching feeling trying to warn you about something and another to have that same feeling when someone was missing. The others looked around, just noticing his disappearance. They too didn't like the idea that a fellow friend had mysteriously vanished.

"Let's find him and get out of here," Axel said. The team gave a nod before leaving the assembly room.


	3. Broken

Shark gave a sigh as his efforts turned out to be fruitless. Having continued deeper into the warehouse, Shark not only found himself lost but still alone. His yellow suit stood out against the old dark wood of the deteriorating walls. Little light came in from the windows but it was enough to reveal the three options he had to continue on. He could persist down the hall, retreat back the way he came, or ascend a staircase that went up to the second level.

"Dude," Shark said to himself as he pushed his fingers through his soft blond hair, "I'm going to be lost in here forever."

But despite the eeriness and lonely escapade, Shark's curiosity and adventurous spirit pushed him forward. As Shark looked up the dark stairs he couldn't help but remember that eerie feeling he had felt outside of the warehouse. Especially the image of the broken window that was undoubtedly located on the second floor. As Shark pondered over the feeling, something caught his attention. It was feint but he could hear something, voices. They didn't quite sound the same as the ones he was used to. Carefully, and quietly, Shark began to ascend the stairs. He kept his eyes on the darkness at the top and as he drew closer and found something out of place. At the end of the dark hallway, that held no windows and only a single door at the end, there was a light that shown through the bottom crack of the door.

Stepping into the dark corridor, Shark carefully listened as the voices began to grow louder and clearer. He cautiously looked back towards the stairs then back towards the door as he crept along. When he got close, Shark hugged the wall to make sure he remained undetected. He slowly bent down to the floor when he noticed a crack in the door just large enough to peer though. Shark pressed his face against it, brushing his soft blonde hair against the rotten wood. Shark held his breath as he listened in and discovered the identity of the voices.

"Gentlemen, I present to you my newest creation," Paine said as he held up his right hand. On it was a glove made of some type of flexible metal.

"What does it do Paine?" Flesh, the steroid induced human, questioned. He gave a scratch of his head which was followed by a slap of one of the metal legs of his fellow companion Spydah.

"Weren't you paying attention when we were tuning it?" Spydah hissed. Paine gave a small chuckle. He didn't hire the two for their wits. Besides he was in too good of a mood to spoil it.

"This, my muscular friend, will greatly improve my touch of Pain." He explained. "It is so powerful that not only can I inflict pain like no other but also drain my enemy of his energy. And I can't wait to use it on Manning."

Paine gave a clench of his fist, activating the metal. Green lighting like sparks surged though the glove as the crunching metal absorbed and enhanced his deadly touch. Shark carefully removed his face from the door. He didn't understand how or why Paine had such a weapon but the one thing he did know was that Axel and the team were in danger. He carefully stood up from the door. He had to warn them. Shark quickly turned around to retreat and suddenly came face to face with the dark figure of Dragon.

Before he could react, or even realize who it was, it was already too late. The figure bent down and pulled both arms to the side before throwing them forward sending a wave of energy into the young man's torso. As if hit by a truck, Shark flew through the air, crashed through the door, and sent a spray of splinters and fragments into the room. Shark followed as he hit the ground and rolled to a stop a few feet in front of Paine. A piece of wood fell off Shark's back and clattered to the floor as he shifted onto an elbow and clutched his stomach. With the breath knocked out of him he coughed and gasped for air that was now littered with dust. The Surfer managed to push himself up to his knees but kept his head down at the ground trying to steady the floor that was whirling beneath him. Dragon stepped in through the remaining fragments of the door and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Axel and his team are here. This one was outside the door. I don't think they've realized we're here," he said as he glanced over towards the teen struggling on the floor. A dark chuckle came from Paine.

"Well, if it isn't the worst possible case of wrong place wrong time," he mentioned to Shark as if sympathetic. He wickedly smiled at the teen helpless at his feet.

"Flesh, if you don't mind," he said while keeping his eyes on his newest toy.

Shark managed to raise his pounding head to see the massive giant rushing towards him. Flexing his shoulders and clenching his fist, Flesh delivered a punch so fierce it sent Shark soaring across the room until he hit the wall with a crack of the plaster. He fell limply to the ground but managed to catch himself on his arms as rotted wood and rusted nails fell onto his back from the wall. Dust once again showered over him. His vision was blurred and spun like a kaleidoscope. He blinked a few times in an attempt to clear his head which was pounding like it was hit with a hammer. His back felt as if it had been stabbed a thousand times while his chest shook which each ragged and forced breath that felt like lifting a one ton weight off his chest with each heave. Shark swayed as he attempted to get up once again but blacked out for a moment forcing him back to the floor in a heap.

_"I . . . have, to warn"_ Shark told himself, trying to stay focused and keep his thoughts coherent. He didn't have time to sleep. He had to get up, these wounds weren't anything. He had to escape.

Shark couldn't hear the snickers and laughter from the men as he forced himself back onto his elbows. He put an arm around his chest as if it would fall to pieces if he didn't. Signaling his condition, Shark spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. He could already tell that several of his ribs were bruised if not cracked or broken. Blood dripped from his mouth as he stifled a groan and forcibly pushed himself up to his knees. Unable to do more, he fell back against the wall, leaning on it for support. The light in the room kept flickering on and off from the damage to the room and didn't help the teen see any clearer. Shark could hear the footsteps of someone coming closer, and in the dim light, he could see the shadow of Paine towering over him. It blocked out the rest of the room leaving only the figure of Paine in his eyes. Shark weakly raised his head while trying to ignore the pat of his own blood hitting the ground between each of his ragged breaths. His suit was torn and covered in blood and dirt. Pain relished in the sight.

"Axel and his friends are roaches," Paine said as he tightened his new glove. "You have to make sure you kill it thoroughly, otherwise, they just keep popping up."

Shark could do little as Paine reached out with his glove for him. The outline of the metal in the light consumed his sight.

"I was hoping to test it out on Manning first but you'll do for now," he said.

Shark managed a quick gasp as Paine's hand roughly covered his face firmly grasping his head. The man's large fingers ran through his hair and went from ear to ear. His touch of pain was activated as green light sparked through the joints of the metal. A current of electricity like energy coursed into the teen reaching every muscle and every fiber of his body. A blinding green light streaked out from the glove as Shark desperately tried to remove the hand from his face. Not only did it tare into Shark's every cell but as it passed through it sucked out every fiber of energy he had. Shark yanked and pulled at Paine's fingers and wrists trying to escape but they wouldn't budge. He was suffocating, he couldn't breathe. It became harder and harder to fight back. Unable to handle the pain, his body began to go numb. Paine smiled as he watched the blonde's strength start to give way watching his grip loosen, his fingers stop clawing. His muffled screams grew quiet.

Never having seen the weapon in full use, Spydah and Flesh watched in an unspoken horror as Paine raised Shark off of the ground and held him up against the wall. In the shadows of the green light, Dragon watched in disgust. It was too much. It was too cruel.

"Paine that is enough," Dragon shouted over to him but his words fell onto deaf ears. Paine tightened his grip as he watched the green sparks fly across his vision. He could see Axel's figure before him. He could see the torture he could inflict. If he could kill this cockroach he could kill the leader of them all.

"Paine!" Dragon shouted even louder. It was then that he watched Shark's arms slide off the glove and fall limply to his side. He was going to die. Unwilling to let it get that far, Dragon quickly put his hand to his belt and whipped out a knife. He flung it across the room, straight into Paine's new glove. There was a sharp clang and a mix of red and green sparks as the knife ricochet off the glove damaging the metal and forcing Paine to release his grasp. As Pain grabbed his hand in pain from the backlash of the glove, which droned before going dark, Shark fell to the floor in a motionless heap.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Paine screamed as he threw a death like glare over to the warrior. Dragon did not waver at it.

"I cannot let you do this," he firmly stated. The warrior glanced over to the floor where the teen neither groaned nor moved. It was possible he was already too late.

"Since when did you give a damn of Manning and his friends!?" Paine screamed as he purposefully put his foot on Shark's back to emphasize his point. Paine had enough to deal with aside from Dragon's hidden motives. He motioned over towards the others for them to get rid of him.

"Flesh! Spydah!" he ordered but the warrior was too quick and slipped into the shadows where he disappeared out of sight. Paine gave a sneer in annoyance and looked back down at the figure below him. No longer did a dark smile fill his face but rather rage and humiliation. His glove attempted to reignite but only flickered and went dark once again. He loudly cursed and stood back up straight. It was a setback but not one that couldn't be fixed. Despite the small hinge in Paine's plans, at least now he had one of manning's friends at his disposal.


	4. Sudden Flames

Axel, Hawk, Lioness, and King retraced their steps back through the warehouse all the while checking doors and hallways for Shark with the occasional call of his name.

"Man, how big is this place?" Hawk mentioned to the group as they cleared yet another empty office space.

"We could just leave him and come back later," King playfully suggested as he reappeared in the hallway. Lioness eyes turned cold to the tech genius as she threw him a glare that would chill his blood. King broke out in a sweat at it and tried to smile and shrug it off. He hadn't meant to offend her. Lioness walked past him in a huff.

_The nerve of him_, she thought to herself. She didn't even want to think about leaving without Shark with this gut feeling nagging at her. The longer they looked the more nervous she became. Axel could now see the worry clearly on her face.

"I'm sure he's fine," Axel reassured as he put a hand on her shoulder. Lioness wanted to say something optimistic but found that it was nearly impossible as she fumbled over her thoughts. It wasn't like her to be so on edge. She was not acting like herself. A sudden noise broke through their thoughts as it echoed down to them. The group instantaneously looked to one another.

"Shark!" They all yelled in unison. The team tore down the hall in search of the noise but it had been so quick that the team lost it almost as quickly as they had heard it. Lioness felt her heart racing through her chest faster than she had ever felt before. The team skidded to a halt as several passages diverged in different directions.

"Shit!" Hawk said as they were forced to stop. They had lost the trail but soon after there was another crash. This time it was larger and shook the walls around them sending a small cloud of dust falling upon them. Lioness immediately jumped forward ahead of the others. The shaking in the ceiling, it had come from the second floor! Lioness slid to a halt in front of the closest staircase. She looked up into the dark shadows of the top and could hear shouting coming down from it. This was it! In just two leaps she was at the top, ignoring the shouts of the team behind her. She had to find him, she needed to find him. Lioness ran down the hall and came to a halt as she entered the dimly lit room. The rest of the team followed and were just as surprised as her to see who awaited them through the door. Axel narrowed his eyes at Paine as he stepped out into the front.

"Paine," he said with a sneer. Paine gave a small chuckle as the Alpha team suddenly poured into the room. Maybe his luck wasn't so bad after all. And from their hesitation he could tell that they had no clue as to what just happened.

"Well it's good for you to join us Manning," he said with a wicked grin. Reaching down, Paine grabbed Shark by the shirt and held him up for display. "Looking for this?"

"Let him go Paine!" Hawk yelled from the back, all nervousness and reluctance was replaced with absolute seriousness. Paine dropped Shark onto the ground with a smirk.

"Why don't you take him from me," was all that he said. In an instant the team jumped into action. King and Hawk found themselves confronting Flesh who madly swung his dumbbell towards them. With a leap, Hawk flew over it while King ducked underneath. Finding an opening Hawk gave a swift kick to the monster, forcing his attention towards him allowing King the chance he needed. Reeling back as far as he could, King threw a sucker-punch straight into Flesh sending even him stumbling backwards.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" King yelled as he cracked his knuckles and dove in for another round.

On the other side of the room, Lioness dodged the sharp metal legs that stabbed at her. When she was focused, it was nothing but a dance for the woman and her cat like reflexes. And when she was fighting to protect someone, her claws came out. Lioness felt a wall come up against her back, cutting off any more means of retreat. Spydah had her pinned and with a shout he threw forward his legs but found nothing but the wall underneath his claws. The cat suddenly slid underneath him with a devious smile on her face and when she was clear, pounced up in a flip to send a powerful kick into Spydah's back sending him straight into the floor.

Axel lunged forward at Paine forcing the man to back away from his friend. A ghost like silver streamed from his eyes as they delivered a serious of jabs and counter attacks. With sparrow like speed they exchanged blows and would have been on equal grounds if it had not been for an unconscious Shark in the middle of the floor. In order to prevent any underhanded moves Axel and the team had to protect their friend from their fights. And in doing so, Axel was exposed to a punch that Paine delivered onto him unhindered. Axel fell back onto the ground while Paine ran over to the large desk in the back. He broke open one of the drawers and pulled out one of his emergency weapons. With a sharp whistle he notified Flesh and Spydah and quickly ran for one of the windows. Flesh knocked out the wall for them to escape through that caused the warehouse to shake. The team was forced to their knees as Paine lingered in the hole for a moment.

"A gift, from me to you," Paine snickered. He gave the object a squeeze, causing it to light up before he tossed it back into the room towards the team. King recognized the design. It was a bomb.

"Get down!" he screamed before the bomb hit the floor and exploded on impact.

* * *

There was a distinctive heat around the woman. It grew hotter, closer, and more intense. Lioness struggled to open her eyes. Something hot fell onto her and the cat quickly regained her senses and pushed it away. She found herself lying on the floor. There was groaning hidden under the popping and crackling of the fire that had engulfed the room. The explosion had flung the team in various locations and ignited the dry plaster and old wood into an inferno that only grew stronger as the team tried to regain their senses.

Lioness felt her shoulder and hip ache as she tried to move. She had no doubt been unable to find cover in time. Her ears were ringing but began to clear as she forced herself to her feet removing the splinters from her suit and checking for any serious wounds. She had been lucky. Across the room she could see King help Hawk to his feet and Axel appear in the door way. He shouted and motioned for them all too quickly escape. The fire was growing quickly out of control and if that wasn't enough Paine was probably still lingering about waiting for them to show up. And as if on cue there was another loud bang followed by the sound of a car alarm. Axel quickly shouted something to Hawk and waved over towards Lioness. He disappeared from view and went to stop Paine from destroying their only means of escape. If he didn't they would probably be dead anyway.

Lioness held up her arms in defense against the heat of the flames and quickly realized that Shark had no doubt been caught in the blast.

"Shark!" She yelled in the hopes of an answer but there was no call in return. Frantic, she searched for him carefully sidestepping a hole in the floor where the explosive had hit. Jumping over some burning debris, Lioness looked towards the spot he had been before but it was now empty and on fire. Smoke began filling most of the room. It found an escape through the hole in the wall but it was cumulating so fast that it didn't matter. King evacuated down the hall to help Axel while Hawk reentered the room with a bit of blood running down his cheek to help find their friend. The heat was beginning to burn when the cat suddenly spotted Shark camouflaged by debris. She quickly knelt down at his side and brushed the burning bits off of him. He was still unconscious but it didn't look like the explosion caused any more damage than what had already been done to him. Lioness attempted to wipe away the ashes and sweat from her face and tried to shake the surfer awake.

Suddenly there was a large pop and splinter like crack as a beam from the ceiling fell down to the floor carrying more debris and dust with it. Hawk was forced to jump back and scrambled away as more timber fell. Lioness quickly covered Shark with her own body to protect him from any potential debris. A new cloud of smoke and dust filled the air making it almost unbearable to breath and even harder to see. Cut off from both the door and Lioness Hawk tried to peer around the debris.

"Lioness! Are you alright? Lioness!" he called several times. With a few coughs to clear her lungs she looked back and saw the pilot by the open wall.

"The door! The door!" He shouted again, this time with more urgency and a motion for her to escape. No matter how he hated to admit it, it was up to her to save Shark and herself. All he could do was tell her how to getaway. Lioness glanced to it and saw that it was still clear for escape. With no more time to wait, she quickly and carefully grabbed onto Shark's arm and pulled it over her shoulder while using the other to hold onto his waist. A small groan came from the surfer as Lioness struggled to get him across the room.

"Wake up now Shark, come on I need you to wake up for me," she struggled to encourage. Afraid not only from the circumstances but for the fact that the teen had remained unresponsive, Lioness found her voice shaky and panicked. Shark's groan was followed by a mutter that could have been the cat's name but there was too much commotion and crackling for her to understand. A spark of hope came when Shark found it in himself to at least try and carry some of his own weight even if he had no clue as to what had happened.

"That's right baby, Vamos, We've got to get out of here," she encouraged again, feeling more empowered now that he had started to stir.

After Lioness and Shark escaped into the hall, Hawk quickly activated the jetpack built into his suit and retreated to help the others. Unfortunately for them, escaping the flames was only the beginning.


	5. Beaches and Palm Trees

Shark felt a vibrating motion. It was one he was all too familiar with. There was a rush of wind that swept over him. He could feel it through the rips and tares of his suit. It burned the cuts and scrapes that were exposed. The pain helped him open his eyes to the road flying by underneath him. He was pressed up against something in front of him with his arms wrapped around it. He loosened his grip in the confusion.

"Don't let go Shark," he heard Lioness say through the communicator. He could hear the others, only sporadically and incoherently.

Lioness pulled his arms back around her waist. Shark then realized that he was riding with Lioness on the MTX 9000. He touched his helmet becoming aware that he had not been the one to put it on and realized that something was very, very wrong. As he tried to tighten his grip he found that he could do no more than interlock his fingers together. He had no strength not even to remove his head from Lioness' back. If the feeling of the road underneath him and riding had not been so familiar to his body he would have fallen off already. He was dizzy. His vision was blurred and doubled. Every breath he took felt like getting shot in the chest. It took everything he had to stay conscious and he had trouble holding onto Lioness' slim stomach.

But there was something else that was different. They were riding fast, too fast. As Lioness swerved a car he could see Axel across the road. The team was too far apart. The traffic was loud and dangerous filled with honks and squealing tires. Shark suddenly jerked to the side as the bike dodged something which was quickly followed by an explosion. The surge of energy and heat nearly rolled the bike. Lioness quickly grabbed onto Shark's arm to hold him steady and reoriented the bike before she could lose control. There was a rumble of a jet as Hawk soared low overhead. The team had attempted to clear a path for Lioness to pass but the bridge had proved to be too dangerous. Shark could hear more and more explosions that jarred his head, causing him to wince and close his eyes. In an attempt to see the road ahead Shark managed to look up and saw Axel and King avoiding the same type of explosions in the road. Glancing to a nearby car that had become victim to the game, he could see flesh in pursuit. In the suspension wires and crossbeams of the bridge a glimpse of Spydah could be seen slashing at the team.

Cars caught in the crossfire exploded without mercy while metal beams buckled and crashed to the ground leaving snapped suspension wires swinging like giant metal whips strong enough to cut a person in two. Lioness hugged low to her bike as a car lost control and came careening towards them. She veered hard right to avoid it, skimming close to some fallen debris, but found herself right in the path of a cable swinging for them. With a gasp she held her breath and veered to the side straight into one of the explosions. Both Shark and Lioness where flown from the MTX as it popped forward and flipped with a whirr of the engine. Lioness was thrown into the side of a car that bent with the hit. Shark soared through the air before hitting the pavement and rolling from the momentum, skidding across the rubble with a spotty trail of blood to follow. He suddenly felt the road underneath him disappear. On instinct he reached out and managed to grab some of the metal stripping on the side of the bridge as he was thrown over the edge. Shark dangled over the waters with the strong winds of the bridge pushing against him. He could feel the dull ache of the metal as its sharp edge dug into his hands as if he was holding onto a sword.

It had all occurred so fast, so sudden .Shark didn't understand what had happened. He could only hear his heart pounding in his ears. It dulled out the blurred explosions that could be seen overhead. As he looked up, the bridge seemed to spin in his double vision. He could feel the cold metal cut through his gloves, the warmth of his blood run down his hands, forcing him to wince. Under his weight the metal began to bend. Shark fought as hard as he could to stay conscious. The lining holding up his left hand suddenly snapped forcing all of his weight onto his other hand as he swung again and looked down into the water. A fall from this height even with water underneath could kill him. He didn't want to die, not now. He still had something worth living for.

A nearby explosion sent a tremor to shake the surfer's grip and a shower of rubble to clatter over him. Shark then realized he had not even the strength to raise his other arm to save himself. In reaction, his breathing suddenly shifted. He knew that it was only because of the metal cutting through his hand that he held his grip, but strangely enough the pain began to disappear. Shark closed his eyes as the explosions and shouts faded.

_It's so hard_ he quietly whispered to himself. Even his thoughts were weak. His fingers loosened. He felt heavy . . . so heavy.

_So . . . hard . . ._

Even the small pat of blood from his hand onto his helmet did not stir him. There was no pain, only the rhythmic beat of his heart that grew softer, slower. What was he doing again? Shark slowly opened his eyes, did it matter? Unable to hold out any longer, the metal stripping bent and snapped under his weight, releasing Shark to the waters below. Two green gloved hands suddenly thrust forward and grabbed onto the surfer's right wrist. As if her touch sent a surge of energy into him, Shark opened his eyes.

"Shark!" he could hear from above. The communicator line had been damaged in the crash so the sound was muffled, but he could still hear it. It was familiar. Shark looked up to the bridge and, through his tinted helmet, saw Lioness lying across the bridge grabbing onto his arm to keep him from falling.

"Hang on! Just hang on!" she yelled again. Shark looked up to her. _Hang on?_ He couldn't. He felt so tired, so weak. Lioness could feel his grip grow frail. _Why wasn't he trying to hold onto her?_ _Why wasn't he responding?!_ Her fingers grew more desperate as gravity worked against them. She squeezed tighter only to feel his arm slipping out from underneath her.

"Shark!" she screamed with tears brimming in her eyes. He was going to die if he didn't help. "Grab onto me!" _Why wasn't he grabbing onto her with those rough yet gentle hands?_

"Help me!" she shrieked. She was going to lose him. As Shark looked up into her eyes, everything else seemed to disappear. He gave her a small smile. She was so beautiful. Tanned by the sun, ever resilient against the sea and the sand, she was like a palm on the beach. Lioness' heart shuddered and gut flipped when she saw the soft smile on his face. _Why was he smiling_? _This was not the time to be smiling!_ A chill that was so fierce came over her that it froze her blood. Her eyes widened. _Stop smiling_!

"Lioness," he faintly whispered. The woman felt her own arms grow weaker. She was losing her grip. Lioness gave a scream as she leaned forward as far as she could.

"I . . .," he tried to say. She could see his eyes closing. Tears fell from her eyes and splashed onto the visor of her helmet as she desperately clawed at his hands. _No, no, no!_

_I . . ._

Lioness froze. Like hands through smoke, her grasp went empty. Shark's hands fell out of hers. He fell without resistance or fear for the water below. Shark could not see Lioness as she screamed his name and reached out for him. How her heart jumped into her throat to choke her of all life. He could not see the horribly frightened eyes that watched him grow farther and farther away. With Shark's eyes filled with his favorite cat, he could finally rest.

There was a silent splash as Shark disappeared into the river. There left lying on the bridge, Lioness' voice finally gave out as she stared into the river. Warm tears fell from her cheeks. The river did not stir. It did not return the diver. Shark . . . was gone.

Lioness could feel a hand grab onto her collar and jerk her back from the edge. As the river was lost from sight the only thing she could see was Shark's sea blue eyes looking up to her, unafraid, smiling as if nothing was wrong. It was the look that said everything would be ok. Lioness ravenously kicked and tore at the arm pulling her back. She could still save him. If she jumped in now she could find him! She watched as the edge of the bridge crumbled and collapsed. If she had not been pulled back she would have fallen along with it. Axel struggled as the woman fought against him. With an elbow to the face, Axel stumbled back as the two tripped over a pile of rubble. Lioness fell onto Axel and when she realized who it was she stopped her thrashing.

"Shark," she said as she looked over to Axel. Axel was struck by her stare and watched as the reality hit his friend like a bus.

"Shark's gone," she whispered. Axel was taken aback. _Gone? What did she mean gone?_ There was little time for explanation as King came running over to them. His suit was covered in soot and blood.

"Axel, they've got us cornered. With the civilians on the bridge we can't go any farther!" he said in a heavy pant. From the sky, Hawk fell to the ground rather shakily as he struggled to land on his uninjured leg. Using a piece of debris for support he looked over to the others.

"We have no choice. We have to use that new device Lee left for us!" Hawk yelled. Axel was hesitant but pulled out a star shaped piece of metal.

"But it hasn't been tested yet!" King retorted, afraid of the repercussions that could follow. Axel tightened his grip.

"Now's a good time to try!" Axel yelled before tossing the star at the approaching Flesh, Spydah, and Paine. The device lit up and sent a large spotlight into the air. Paine reeled back from the light and everyone was forced to shield their eyes as it grew more intense. White light enveloped them before everything went dark.


	6. Aftermath

The world slowly came back to her. Lioness pushed herself up onto her elbow. She could feel her head whirl and entire body ache with the movement. Lioness slowly took off her cracked helmet and put a hand to her spinning head. She closed her eyes from the ache that now ran through her whole body. The white light that had engulfed the team still left shadows dancing across her vision. The cat refocused her thoughts and as her vision cleared, Lioness gazed in awe at the damage the battle had caused. Various cars were overturned and damaged. Many were black from exploding while some still quietly burned in the background. The air held several columns of smoke and the bridge hung together in pieces. Pavement was torn and disrupted with cracks and holes dotting its face. Mountain like ridges of asphalt occasionally pried themselves up from the ground like the scar of an earthquake. The bridge's cords now hung limply from the beams, some swayed slightly in the wind.

A large moaning could be heard in the distance from the metal of the bridge having to shift its weight. Sirens filled the air as fire trucks and ambulances scattered themselves across the bridge. Medics cautiously rescued those still trapped in their cars and tended to the injured. Hawk stirred not too far from Lioness as medics rushed over to help him. To the side, King helped clear a piece of debris that had trapped another person. There was moaning and sobs as people emerged from the wreckage while others began to gather at the edges of the caution tape to observe the scene. Despite the medics running towards her, Lioness got to her feet and roughly pushed the doctors away from her. There was one thing and one thing only on her mind.

Lioness jogged across the road, avoiding broken steel and rubble, towards a hunk of missing bridge. She stopped as she came to the edge and looked down, expecting to see Shark still hanging there joking and laughing about his unsightly state: How it was unfitting for a gentleman such as himself to be helped by a woman. There was nobody hanging onto the bridge. Far below there was no bobbing figure in the cold murky water swimming to safety. Looking to the banks, as the small figures of a rescue crew combed the shallow waters, there was no bright yellow suit amongst them. Lioness could feel her heart fall out of her chest. She fell to her knees at the edge of the bridge.

"SHARK!" she sorely yelled.

Her voice crackled with tears as her shout trailed off and ended in heartache. Tears fell from her golden yellow eyes and trailed down her face before dropping onto the ground. There was a silent pat as her tears hit her legs. It didn't matter that her suit was torn to shreds, that her arms were covered in blood and dirt. Guilt and grief filled her. _If only she was stronger she could have pulled him up. If only she had swerved the other way on the bike to avoid the wire. If only she had stayed back with him in the warehouse. If only she had paid more attention that Shark was not with them_.

The medics who had tried to help her earlier followed Lioness to the spot. They yelled and waved for her to come back and receive treatment but the cat couldn't comply. Lioness sprang to her feet and viciously pushed through the medics. She blindly ran to anywhere she could, anywhere but here. She didn't get very far before she bumped into the familiar blue figure of Hawk. She looked up into his bloody face and he into hers. Hawk could see it in her eyes, what had happened on the bridge and to Shark. There was no denying the reality of it now. Hawk's expression was what confirmed it for the cat. Shark was gone. Lioness fell into Hawk's chest as he put his arms around her. She grabbed tight onto his shirt coughing and crying. She no longer held back her grief that seemed to strangle her the more she held it in. It hurt so much. It hurt more than it ever did before.

As Lioness bore into his shoulder to muffle her cries, Hawk carefully held her trying to support her anyway he could. It was then that he looked over her shoulder to the edge of the bridge. It was jagged and empty. Hawk was forced to look away from it. He didn't want to believe it either. Hawk may have been selfish and stubborn but if there was anything that could have snapped him out of his ego was the pesky yet playful teasing of the easygoing surfer. After all it was Shark who always seemed to be at his side when they got into trouble, pulled pranks on the others, and played around in the sea and sky. Hawk closed his eyes and hugged tighter onto Lioness. Had he truly just lost his best friend?

Far from the bridge, it was only inevitable that the sirens would fade and the crying would seize as an effort to return to the mundane came over the team. Lioness lay in her bed with her eyes wide open to the ceiling. She looked over to her window where the moonlight came in through the glass strong enough to leave a shadow. The clear sky beyond it only made the stars shine brighter in irony. Just a few hours ago the team had returned home and spent the day waiting on the rescue team. Because of their injuries they had not been allowed to go search for their friend themselves. When the doorbell finally rang, it was Lioness who opened the door. When she did, the team was only met with bowed heads. The rescue team had not found Shark in or around the river. Not too long after the notification, Lee visited to comfort the team. When he left a gloomy tone had filled the aquarium.

Every decal and decoration from the old aquarium that Shark had begged the team to keep was now just a reminder of his absence. As she lay in her bed, Lioness didn't understand how the others could sleep knowing that down the hall Shark's room was empty. The cat flipped over to turn her back on the moonlight. Her mind kept running the incident on the bridge over and over again. Every time she opened her eyes she could see Shark rolling over the edge. She could feel his grip loosen on her arm. Whenever she closed her eyes she could see Shark's clear blue eyes staring into hers. She could see him smiling at her like nothing was wrong. That image was the worst of them. Lioness pressed her head into her pillow to stifle any cries or tears that attempted to come out of her. It was not like her to cry like this. She was not acting like herself.

Lioness moaned and rolled around in her bed trying every possible position to get comfortable. Nothing seemed to help. Lioness stopped and looked up into the ceiling. There was a click as her bedside clock indicated midnight. She looked at the clock and sighed. This night was dragging on forever. And Unlike other nights when she couldn't sleep, there was no snoring from various team members down the hall to blame. There was no television softly going in the background from a late nighter. There was no shower of a certain someone who had taken a late night swim. The house was still and quiet. She couldn't stand it.

Lioness tightly grabbed onto her sheets and threw them off of her. Getting up and walking over to her dresser, the cat stripped in the moonlight and changed into her riding gear. She quickly left her room, headed down the hall, and slipped down the stairs into the garage where she softly closed the door behind her


	7. On the Quiet Riverbed

It was the soft pat of water on his cheek that awoke him. Weakly fluttering open his eyes, Shark was meet only with darkness. He blinked a few times to make sure that he had truly opened his eyes but the darkness did not fade. Afraid he had gone blind Shark went to sit up but found that he couldn't. Both his right leg and chest were immobilized by a heavy pressure. In fact, there was a pressure all over him. It was profound but not unfamiliar. Strangely enough a stream of bubbles came up over his visor outside of his helmet. Another drop of water fell onto his face. Shark held his breath. He was underwater. For a moment, he panicked unable to remember how he had gotten there. Shark closed his eyes to try and calm himself. _He had been in bad situations before right?_ But this somehow seemed to be much worse.

Shark held his breath. _Calm down, Calm down, assess the situation, what do we do when stranded in the ocean?_ He coached to himself. Shark's frantic breaths calmed as he listened to the silence of the water world. He relaxed his body, feeling the flow around him. Sand, there was sand and mud underneath him. There was a current, slow but present. The water was cold, chilling. He was down deep, at the bed of a river, a river, the bridge, Lioness. Shark opened his eyes as flashes of asphalt and Lioness came back to him. He remembered going to the warehouse and stumbling upon Paine, getting beat to a pulp and then waking up on the back of Lioness' MTX. There was an explosion, they had been tossed. The face of Lioness came to Shark, the expression she had when holding onto his arm. It was the last thing he remembered.

Shark carefully touched a hand to his helmet. He must have fallen in the river and it was because of his helmet that he had been able to breathe. Shark activated the light built into his helmet. The two lights attempted to turn on. Both flickered and one went out leaving the other his only means of visibility. Even then the remaining light flickered after being damaged. The communicator line had also gone dead with not a shred of static to help him. Using the little light he had, Shark looked down to his chest and leg. He saw pieces of bridge and road on top of him, keeping him anchored to the bottom of the river. More bubbles streamed up through the light towards the surface. If this was the same debris from the bridge explosion then it must have meant he was still close to the bridge. Yet at the same time the debris had kept Shark pinned at the bottom of the river out of sight of a rescue attempt. And without his communicator, there was no way for the team to find him.

Shark gave a heavy sigh and closed his eyes. He could feel his body shiver. The tears and cuts in his suit had allowed the cold water to touch his bear skin. An expert of everything aquatic, Shark knew that he was in trouble. He could already feel the ache in his muscles that seeped down into his bones. He could barely breathe now that he was awake and had such a heavy burden on his chest. Although Shark had rested in his unconsciousness, and his mind had time to heal and rid itself of the venom Paine had left inside of him, the surfer's body had not the strength to recover all that had been lost.

Feeling all of the moisture that was gathering in his helmet with every breath, Shark looked to his visor. A large crack streaked down the middle and allowed another drop to splash onto his face. Shark became aware of the pool of water that sloshed around his neck. Not only was he probably on the brink of hypothermia but his one and only lifeline was threatening to give way any moment. Shark knew he had to get out of the river as soon as possible. Using every bit of strength he could muster, Shark managed to get his hands under the piece of metal over his chest and push it off of him with a groan. Almost immediately his body began to rise off the riverbed before the weight on his leg held him back again.

Even though he had moved the weight from his chest, Shark was forced to wince and double over while holding onto his torso. The action had released all of the pain from his old wounds. He had not realized how numbed his body had become from the cold waters. Now that Shark was awake the sharp stabbing tenderness was almost unbearable. Looking out to the water, aside from the mud settling back onto the ground, Shark could see a dark haze emitting from various parts of his body. Blood. The haze was blood being swept down the current of the river. He was nauseous, dizzy, and weak. Every movement, every breath, was like pulling a knife in and out of his body. Shark's arms felt as if they had held up a steel beam for hours, his legs as if he had run a marathon when they were broken. And even without his crippling wounds there was the drag of his water filled suit that made every moment that much harder as it pulled against him.

Every ounce of logic told Shark that he was dying. Even his own body told him to rest, that it was over. Not a single person would expect more from him than to lie back down on the river bed and close his eyes for good. Fall asleep in the comfort of his favorite element. And Shark would have, if it was not for the palm that swayed quietly through his thoughts with the ocean breeze. He saw the image of Lioness as she stood in the tree's shade playing with her toes in the sand, looking back to him with that beautiful smile of hers. Shark wanted to see that smile again. Going against every ounce of pain, soreness, and hurt he felt, Shark reached out and freed his leg from the rubble. With a push off of the river bed the surfer headed for the surface. Every stroke and every kick felt as if a one ton weight had been tied to his limbs. The ascent through the darkness felt like forever until he suddenly broke the surface of the river. His appearance sent a spray of water sprinkling across the river, catching the moonlight in the process.

Looking to the moon to gather his bearings, the surfer tensed when he realized it was nightfall. _How long had he been trapped under the water?! _Following the dim glow of the city out of sight, Shark looked towards the bridge and the emergency lights that had been posted around it. There was only a single white light of a vehicle upon it. With the current pushing against him, Shark quickly swam for the shore that was closest to him. The surfer struggled to fight against it as he made his way closer to the shadows of the bank. It grew harder and harder for Shark to stay conscious as he made his way slowly and painfully across the dark waters. Many times his head fell under the water line in exhaustion.

After what felt like hours, Shark's legs managed to run into the sandbank. He attempted to stand out of the water but the onset of gravity was too heavy. Shark was forced to hunch over with his arms dangling in front of him. He waited a minute too tired to move. Shark managed to lift his heavy arms, grab onto his helmet, and pull it off. The wind was cool and dry as it touched his wet face and rustled through his hair. The wind was a relief to his senses. _He was almost there, almost on the bank_. Shark tried to walk farther in until the exhaustion and weight got to him.

Shark fell to his knees with his head bowed towards the water. The small waves of the river crashed against his legs. He had made it to the bank. The darkness, fatigue, and waves softly lapping up against his legs were an irresistible lullaby. The surfer could fight it no longer. Shark fell forward for the sandy bank. As the moonlight vanished and the world went dark, Shark never felt himself touch the sand. And minutes later, the only trace of him left on the bank was the imprint of his helmet in the sand.


	8. Unorthodox Return

The aquarium building was quiet as the team, except for two, slept soundly in their beds. Axel slowly opened his eyes when something bright flashed up from the bottom of the window. He watched the window to see if it would reappear but it never circled back around. Curious, Axel raised himself up to get a better look. There was no road traffic on this side of the building. There was a feint bang and mechanized sliding that Axel recognized as the opening of the garage door. Had somebody been out riding? Axel rubbed his face before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Axel glanced over to his clock that slowly ticked by indicating it was early morning.

Feeling that something was out of place, Axel got up from his bed and opened the door to walk out into the hall. He looked around and found everything undisturbed. _What if it wasn't someone out for a late night ride and instead burglars or perhaps intruders? _Axel couldn't help the think. The team was vulnerable. It would be the perfect opportunity to strike. Unwilling to take any chances, Axel made his way over to Hawks room and knocked on the door. Inside the pilot was already awake unable to sleep from the nightmares of the potential loss of his friend. Hawk got up and quickly walked over toward the door. Hawk wiped off his anxiety and opened the door to see Axel in his undershirt and boxers.

"I think somebody is in the garage," Axel whispered. Normally Hawk would have then slammed the door in the intruder's face for disturbing his beauty rest but with all that had happened even Hawk gave a silent nod. The two walked past the glowing fish tank that had been refurbished by Shark and made their way into the living room. To the side at the table, King had fallen asleep on top of his work with the lamp still shining on the desk. Axel went over and shook him awake, removing the headphones on his ears. Hawk kept a steady eye on the stairwell down to the garage.

"Did you hear it open or something?" Hawk inquired as he glanced over to the pair.

"It opened but it never closed," Axel mentioned. The comment stirred King who quickly straightened at the thought of thieves but before he could shout in protest about someone hacking his defensive system, King caught sight of Hawk's rather unique silk pajamas and gave a smirk.

"Man Hawk what are you wearing?" he commented.

Hawk gave a glare but stopped as something clicked and churned. All three riders stopped and looked towards the elevator as the light turned on and gears began to hum.

"Someone's coming," Axel whispered. The three stopped and waited. There was a soft ping as the dim light of the elevator appeared at the bottom of the door. Axel went into a Jo-lan stance as the elevator doors pulled apart. All three were surprised to see who was inside of it.

"Lioness!" Axel yelled. Hawk came up beside him.

"Shark!" the pilot shouted in surprise.

Lioness struggled out of the elevator holding a bruised and broken Shark by the stomach and over her shoulder.

"What-what, how is? This-," King fumbled as he looked at the two, both soaking wet. Although Lioness was disheveled it was Shark who caught the team's attention. He still looked as if he had just emerged from the fight on the bridge.

"Don't just stand there!" Lioness yelled as she tried to get a better grip on Shark who was starting to slip off of her shoulders. "Help me!"

Hawk quickly rushed forward and pulled Shark's other arm around his shoulder. King ran over to the closest surface they could put him on.

"Quick put him on the table!" King yelled as he nearly knocked over the table in an attempt to clear its surface. He managed to clear most of the junk off the table in one large sweep as Hawk and Axel quickly lifted the surfer onto the table.

"Shit look at his hands," Hawk fumbled as he situated Shark's arms. King turned on the kitchen light and the room suddenly became a makeshift ER.

"He's unconscious." "Give me the bandages!" "He's having trouble breathing." "God there's so much blood." "Why didn't you take him to the hospital?!" "It was too far away and they're swamped with the bridge victims." "Lee's got the best equipment." "Call his medical team now!" they all said to one another.

The team quickly tried to asses and patch up what they could. As Hawk tightened a makeshift splint he managed to look over at Lioness who was up against him trying to keep it steady.

"What the hell happened?" he asked her. Lioness gave a glance but was too preoccupied to explain.

"I'll explain later, we've got to get Shark help first!" she said. Hawk gave a nod. After all, the pilot was still in shock with the whole situation. Hawk had thought he would never see his friend again. The whole team had thought so. Although the riders were a bit confused on how such events came to be, the team all agreed on one thing. Saving Sharks life took priority.


	9. Recovery

The following days the aquarium building was bustling with people. At first it was the team as they watched the doctors go in and out of Shark's room. With all of Mr. Lee's medical equipment they decided it would be better to set up Shark's recovery in the house. Not only had it been dangerous to move him physically, the media had exploded at the news. It was hard to keep things quiet as news reporters and journalists swarmed in troves to get the inside scoop.

Several members of the team, if not all of them had sat in the living room waiting and worrying at one time or another. Either on the couch, at the table, by the window, or pacing the floor, the team awaited the news. The doctors steadily revealed that the surfer had several lacerations, bruises, cuts, and burns and several cracked ribs. The surfer also had a rather severe fever from the loss of blood and hypothermic conditions he had suffered in.

But once it became clear that Shark would make a full recovery with the best medical care there was, the team found themselves more at ease. As the two week mark rolled around, less and less people filled the room, fading away to somewhere else to keep themselves busy. Instead of large missions the team kept to themselves and stuck to more personalized side jobs and training. But one figure stayed constant in the living room. Lioness slept, ate, and hung around the living room almost every day watching Shark's door and the random doctors going in and out. In the beginning, Lioness found it hard to do anything but worry. She often found herself with her back to Shark's door listening to the steady beep of medical equipment, never had the team been so close to losing one of their own. It had stirred up some rather confusing and unexpected emotions.

Two weeks had passed and as Lioness lounged on the couch she gave a heavy sigh. Shark was getting better but why did she still have this anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling that wouldn't let her brush the incident aside like she could any other day. It wasn't as easy as getting hurt, recovering, and going on to the next mission anymore. Lioness could feel a new fear grow within that the cat knew would plague her for the rest of her life, a fear of losing Shark forever. It became clear that one day Shark (or any other member of the team for that matter) might not return at mission's end. These new feelings she felt forming for the rowdy surfer, what if by the time she understood them it would already be too late? Lioness rubbed her face before getting up to get a snack from the kitchen. Everything had just become so complicated since the day they all first got together.

Down the hall, Shark laid quietly in his room. Having tossed the sheet aside in his sleep, the evidence of Shark's wounds could be seen. Half of his stomach and lower chest were wrapped in bandages. His shirt had been removed during the fever and it had been easier for the doctors to just keep it off. The ankle and shin of his right leg along with the forearm of his left arm were also tightly bandaged. A few bruise spots still lingered along with a couple of scrapes but overall Lee's special treatment had healed him rather thoroughly. The fever coupled with his energy depletion was what had scared the doctors most of all and was the reason for his slow recovery. The whole event was a blur to Shark as he sleepily opened his eyes. He had been asleep for most of his recovery and when he was awake he had been too tired to comprehend what was going. Shark remembered the team sitting in his room, sometimes talking to him, Hawk and Lioness more than anyone else.

As if a switch had been turned on, Shark finally felt rested. Whatever lingering effects Paine's glove had on him vanished with his latest episode of sleep and allowed for his more common energy level to return. The pain Shark felt in his chest and body no longer seemed so extreme. Upon reflection and based off his recovery time, Shark realized that Paine's new touch was no doubt a force to be reckoned with. But despite that, Shark looked around the room as he sat up. There was nothing he could do about it now. From the posters and set up of the room (despite the medical equipment) Shark realized that he was in his own room. There were two people with him in white. One doctor was looking at a clipboard while another was dealing with a tray full of tools close to the surfer. The doctor closest to him suddenly held up a syringe and squeezed it so that liquid squirted out.

"Wow, dude!" Shark shouted when he realized that he was the intended target of the needle.

Lioness bent back out from the kitchen to look towards the hallway when faint shouts and crashes came within Shark's room. She cocked her head at the strange noises. That wasn't what it normally sounded like. The cat walked out into the living room with a box of snacks still in hand and looked towards Shark's bedroom door. There were a few more crashes before the door flung open and Shark stumbled outside half naked with his back to the Lioness. Shark was forced to back up as various objects were thrown at him by the doctors.

"Dude, sorry about the equipment!" Shark tried to apologize as he batted a roll of wrap away that came soaring towards his face. During his escape, he had accidentally knocked over some very expensive machinery.

Lioness stood and watched not really sure what she was witness too. Shark came closer until he turned around right into the woman. Both froze when Lioness' body suddenly appeared against the surfer's. Only a hair's breathe from touching Lioness found it hard not to look upon her blonde haired friend. The first thing she noticed was the bandages around Shark's torso. Unable to stop, Lioness could also see the outline of his chiseled abs, and as her eyes moved up, she saw the muscular yet lean chest polished off with a tan smooth skin. She then met those ocean blue eyes that rolled with humor and tranquility like waves, which were followed by his hair soft and spiked with bed head. Lioness quickly tried to avert her gaze but found them only moving down his frame to his defined deltoids and biceps down to his wounded hands. Following the momentum to the floor, Lioness could not stop herself from noticing Shark's legs and the adorable pajama pants that leaned to one side so that she could see the rim of his boxers. Lioness felt her face grow hot as the two remained so close. It's not like she had never seen him without a shirt on before or stood next to him but . . . had he always been so attractive!?

Shark gave a small wince of a smile as he bent in closer to the unmoving woman. Lioness felt her heart beat faster as he did. Shark gave a little laugh as he reached down between them towards the box of snacks that had become wedged in the surprise. When he had bumped into her the sharp corners of the box had gone straight into his aching ribs. Shark quickly grabbed it before stepping back from Lioness suddenly aware of the lack of space between them. There was a small blush in his cheeks as he gave a nervous grin.

"S-sorry Kitty," Shark said with a little tease to her name. He had remembered how she often visited his room. How he had even caught her sleeping in his chair next to his bed once, so quiet and cute, just like a kitten.

If Lioness had not been so taken aback by the sudden rush of hot emotion she would have exploded like a firecracker at Shark's adorableness.

"I-uh, it's alright, I thought you were still sleeping" Lioness stuttered. Shark held the box of snacks in his two hands playing with the corners as a new tension evolved between them. Lioness quickly tried to redeem herself and disperse the awkwardness of it all.

"I'm glad you're feeling better," she managed to say while glancing away towards the floor to try and calm herself. It had been a while since they had interacted with each other and now that there had been such a flurry of new emotions, it was the first time they had meet under more than friend suspicions. Shark was somewhat surprised at the cat's behavior. She was acting less confident than usual, shy even. And it wasn't because of anything in the room because they were the only two within it. Did that mean . . . it was because of him? Shark's own heart began to race as he gave another smile.

"Yeah, just a few scratches, nothing I can't handle," he tried to nervously joke.

Lioness gave a good humored scoff of a laugh in reply. Their laughter quieted and Lioness carefully raised her eyes to met Shark's looking down at her. For a moment Shark saw it, his chance to take the dive. He went to say something but was cut off as a ping came from the elevator on the other side of the room. The doors opened up to reveal Hawk, Axel, and King inside. Hawk and Axel were joking about something before King smacked the back of Axel's head and stirred all three to start laughing. They stopped their fooling around when they caught sight of Shark in the living room.

With a yell and a cheer all three rushed forward towards him. Shark held up his hands in defense as the team rushed past Lioness to swarm him. The cat gave a giggle as the boys teased their fellow rider harassing him about his disappearance and admiring his war wounds. Lioness put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight with a sigh of relief. It was good to see the team back in one piece. After the excitement died down and the crowd dispersed to their usual spots, Shark was left somewhat dizzy in the middle of the room, rather exhausted from the encounter. Lioness crossed her arms over her chest and looked over to him with her sly eyes. She could tell he was getting tired even if he didn't want to admit he wasn't fully recovered yet. Shark gave a guilty smile. Lioness unfolded her arms and put a hand to his shoulder, turning him back towards the hallway.

"Back to bed," she said with a small pat and a smile. Shark reluctantly agreed. How could he refuse such a beautiful bed nurse?


	10. Going Out

A week or two passed ever since the team could breathe a sigh of relief in regards to Shark's recovery. The house had finally managed to settle back down to normal. It was Shark who walked into the empty living room looking for some means of life. Two or three calls had come in for the team to mobilize on more minor situations. Unfortunately for Shark, the surfer had been strictly sidelined. Although Shark was feeling better, the doctors refused to let him go off with the team just in case his wounds should open up. Mr. Lee's medical care was top notch and almost divine in its capabilities but it still required some bed rest. Shark put a hand to his chest underneath his open blue over shirt. The swimmer touched the bandages that still lined his ribs. The bruising had gone down and Shark would be able to remove them soon. Although normally the team wore their wounds proudly on their chest, Shark felt it was better to keep this unfriendly reminder of his near death experience hidden as much as possible.

It became obvious to Shark that sometimes the team would look to his wounds and remember the bridge incident. Axel normally glanced away feeling guilty. Hawk became overly friendly, but most noticing of all was Lioness whose passionate roar had dulled down to a purr. The cat would not roughhouse with Shark as much and she had started acting noticeably nervous around him. Shark and Lioness had not talked about the bridge since it happened, whether the excuse was a mission or the need of some rest. It was a hard subject to touch between them. Shark honestly did not know how to approach the cat, even though something had noticeably changed between them. Chewing his gum, Shark noticed that the living room was again empty. The swimmer hated being left behind on missions, and in addition to that, Shark's injuries had somewhat isolated him from the rest of the team. It was hard to pick up the pieces of normalcy.

But Shark was determined to at least return things to the way they were before if the team was unwilling to move forward. Blowing a pink bubble, Shark headed through the house to look for someone to hang out with. He could see the light on in Axel's room and headed down the hall to see what the warrior was up to. Poking his head in the door, Shark found Axel with his back to the door and on the floor meditating in preparation for his training later on.

"Yo Axe man, want to test out the new boards with me?" Shark asked with a wave of his thumb towards the garage. Having come close to the end of his meditation, Axel gave a flinch at Shark's sudden interjection. Axel then frowned as his concentration ruined.

"Sorry Shark, I'm busy," Axel replied while trying to keep his annoyance hidden. Shark glanced to the floor with a scratch of his head in disappointment.

"Oh alright," Shark said before heading out of the doorway.

The surfer walked back down the hall until he saw Lioness emerge from a door and quickly brush past him. Hoping that Lioness would be available to lighten his spirits, Shark quickly put on a smile and rushed to her side.

"Hey Lioness," he began to say but was cut off as the cat hurried on.

"Sorry, can't talk now Shark. Me and Axel are about to go out," Lioness said as she quickened her pace. Shark froze and watched her receding form.

"Going out? Where?" Shark tried to say but his words were lost as the cat rounded the corner.

Lioness felt somewhat guilty for leaving the surfer in the hallway. It's not that she was trying to be rude to him, but ever since the attack on the bridge, Lioness found it hard to approach the surfer. New feelings had begun to surface for Shark and Lioness could feel them growing the more she spent time with him. After Shark began to recover, the reality of what those feelings meant had been a bit overwhelming for the cat. Lioness also became aware that if she talked to Shark, the topic of the bridge would most certainly come up. The subject was still tender for her. Lioness was also afraid that if they talked about it, these feelings she had for Shark might become something more serious. And at that point there was no turning back.

Lioness had tried to prepare herself for such situations when she originally signed up to be on the Alpha Team. Being the only female in a group of guys brings up such thoughts. It was easy to play off Shark's playful intent in the beginning when they had first gotten to know one another but now the two of them had a history together. In fact, Lioness had a history with all of the team. And Shark's relationship wasn't the only one that could have some emotional expansion. It was no secret that besides Shark, it was Axel who spent the most time with Lioness. And now that Lioness felt her heart quicken and her cheeks flush whenever she looked upon the surfer, Lioness deemed it necessary to try and dismiss her feelings. At this point, dealing with them now meant avoiding the surfer as much as possible. It wasn't that Lioness didn't want to hang out with Shark, in fact whenever she did she always found herself in a good mood. Rather, it was the chemistry between them that told the cat that her feelings were mutual. They could lead into a future, a future of which she was scared of. Deciding to avoid Shark until Lioness knew what she wanted to do, the cat began drifting towards Axel.

Lioness entered Axel's room with a knock. Turning around, Axel gave a smile and rose to his feet. In the hallway, Shark quickly hid into a room when he noticed Axel and Lioness walk out into the hall. He stayed hidden as they walked over to the elevator together. After they left, Shark went back into the empty living room. The swimmer couldn't help but feel somewhat jealous at the thought of Axel and Lioness leaving together to "go out".

_What were they doing? Was this some possible hint that Lioness wasn't interested_?

Shark looked towards the elevator a little broken hearted. It was possible that the bridge incident had motivated Lioness to make her move in regards to love. Shark looked down to his toes under his sandal straps. He tried not to read too much into it. Shark shook out his negative thoughts with a shake of his head. It was still too early to tell what the cat was thinking. But now with Axel and Lioness gone, Shark was left to amuse himself. King was busy with his computer work and Hawk was gone on a photo shoot. With another sigh, Shark slowly walked over to the stars. He descended into the hanger rolling over his thoughts.

_Axel and Lioness . . . going out, _Shark mulled over again in his thoughts


	11. Sparring Alone

Outside of the aquarium building in a groove of trees next to the house, Lioness sat under one of the maple trees. The cat's legs were sprawled out in front of her until she lifted a knee to rest her elbow upon it. In front of her, Axel moved back and forth in the grass practicing his Jo-lan martial arts. Lioness had done a little sparring with him before practicing her own Capoeira fighting style. Now as the cat rested underneath the tree, Lioness gave a sigh and smiled as she watched Axel practice. They both caught each other's eye for a quick moment before returning to their own business. Axel continued with a series of kicks and spins before concentrating on more serious movements. Lioness found it hard not to watch the fighter as he carefully controlled each swing and kick with ease. Axel was by no means unattractive. Young, healthy, and leader of the team, it was hard not to notice his presence. And yet as Lioness watched Axel something kept tugging her thoughts away from him.

The unknown force nagging at her caused Lioness to feel antsy and shift her position. But even that did not seem to satisfy the cat. Unable to sit around any longer with the feeling, Lioness got back up to her feet to continue training. Axel gave a smile as Lioness approached ready to spar again. Not having to say a word, Axel smiled and quickly whipped out a few punches towards her. Lioness easily dodged the strikes, pushing them away with Axel's own force. Axel forced her back a few steps and went to sweep out her legs but in a single bound the cat was in a back flip over his head. Before she hit the ground, Lioness was already in motion as she struck out at Axel. He was forced to flinch as Lioness' arm stopped just a few inches away from his face.

"Whoah, good job Lioness," Axel said with a smirk. He then backed away from the cat as she lowered her arm with a victorious grin. "You're really getting into the hang of reading Jo-lan."

Axel circled around the woman before putting up his arms again, ready for another go around. Lioness casually put a hand to her hip.

"All of this sparring is starting to pay off," the cat commented in return.

Lioness sharpened her gaze and bent low to prepare for the next wave of attacks. The wind brushed by the two as they sized one another up. Practicing what they loved in the open air was exhilarating, especially when the competition proved to be worthy. Lioness was glad to be out sparring in nature while she could. Off in the distance rain clouds loomed over head. Despite the chance of rain, Lioness had agreed to go out and practice with Axel. She always enjoyed her sessions with the warrior. The more time they spent together, the more at ease Lioness and Axel felt with one another. Sparring became more personal and enjoyable. It became less of a competition and more of an opportunity to express oneself. Resting in between became a time of bonding and relaxation.

_Axel is a great fighting partner. He is protective, strong, and handsome_. Lioness thought to herself. _He would take care of me and love me if I let him._ But that tugging came again at Lioness' heart. _Then why can't I stop thinking about Shark?_

Although standing in front of Axel, it was Shark who filled the cat's eyes. Sure Axel was hot and could keep his cool in any situation but he didn't laugh as much as he could. A lot of the time the warrior was always caught up with Paine and all that surrounded it. Lioness didn't like being weighed down with drama. She enjoyed laughing and how it how it helped to release the enormous amount of stress this job could cause. Lioness silently laughed as she thought of the various occasions Shark had broken the tension by acting goofy or attempting to act cool and then failing in the process. The surfer could smile and laugh through the pain harder than anyone else. And it was ok when Shark goofed around all the time because behind every smile there was a set of strong hands and sturdy legs, an agile fighter that often let others have all the glory.

Lioness' train of thought was broken as Axel jumped forward to start another round of sparring. Having been caught off guard, the cat's smile wore down as she mechanically blocked and countered Axel's strikes. Lioness tried to clear her head of the two men. The cat whisked away from one of Axel's kicks as his foot grazed a few strands of her hair.

_Both were so different. Both had something that she enjoyed. The problem was, which did she like better?_

Lioness was forced out of her thoughts as a hand grabbed onto her wrist. She attempted to pull away but the movement was more emotional than physical. The sparring suddenly broke apart as Lioness dropped her stance and Axel backed away.

"What's wrong Lioness?" Axel asked as he dropped his arms against his sides. "You seem a little out of it."

The clouds above were moving faster than expected and blocked out the riders' view of the sun. Lioness turned away from Axel with a small wave to try and brush the moment aside.

"Sorry, I was just thinking of something," the cat replied while trying to keep her inner thoughts from showing through the surface. Lioness suddenly felt awkward training with Axel alone.

"Oh! That reminds me, I promised King I would help him with the system upgrades in the hanger," Lioness quickly said as she glanced back to the warrior. Axel raised an eyebrow at her but didn't question her. He gave a shrug and a smile in return.

"We'll pick up with this later!" Lioness called as she jogged off towards the house. Axel watched her leave before resuming his training despite the increasing overcast. Before he was just out of sight, Lioness stopped to give him one last glance.

_Guys are so stressful_ she thought to herself as the cat resumed her jog back to the building.

Lioness couldn't help but think that her helping King line was just an excuse to get away from Axel. After all, King was a computer genius and didn't really need help managing the system, if he was actually even working on it. But, if King really didn't need her, why was she running away from Axel? And who was she running to? Lioness gave a frustrated sigh as she pushed away the troublesome ideas. At the moment, she didn't want _any_ guy in her thoughts.


	12. Growing Hostility

The sound of rain could be heard throughout Landmark City. It was a constant drone that seemed to shroud the buildings and citizens below. For an entire week, the storm had sent torrential rains down to flood the city. Roads were closed and citizens were forced to stay locked up inside. The rains were a prison sentence for the Alpha Team. As the flood waters rose, and made riding an impossible escape, so did the tension within the aquarium building. Ever since the bridge incident there had not been any emergencies for the team to respond to. For the first few weeks, the team had managed by doing personal jobs and escaping the insanity of the house through riding and the outdoors. But as the rains came down and trapped the free spirited riders inside, it was only a matter of time until things escalated. As the days dragged on, team became agitated and restless.

To escape the building hostility and madness, Shark stood at the edge of the pool located down in the basement of the aquarium. The surfer balanced on the concrete before diving into the water. Like a fish he was named after, the surfer cut through the water, feeling each ripple and wave as if the water was his own skin. The underground pool was the most familiar place to the surfer. Shark knew each crack and indent of that basin like his own room. Swimming up from the dive, Shark splashed to the surface for a breath with a shake of his head to remove the hair from his eyes. Alone in the middle of the pool, there was only the sound of sloshing water and the dull humming of the filter in the background to keep the surfer company.

With a sigh, Shark floated onto his back to gaze up at the ceiling. There was an aquatic mural on the ceiling that the rider had persevered in order to have something to look at as he floated. But Shark's gaze was far beyond the bright designs as he thought about the team and Lioness. He didn't like the tension that was building within the group of friends. Paine's attack, Shark's injuries, the petty fights and squabbles that were growing more intense as pride and ego began to get in the way, they all added to the team's stressful situation. Even Shark's simple jests and jokes had been seen as attacks and thus attacked in return. Shark closed his eyes to try and rid his mind of such things. His thoughts floated over to Lioness. Shark realized that the cat was avoiding him more than usual but what he didn't know was why.

Shark had made several attempts to joke around and hang out with Lioness .A few times the swimmer had gotten lucky enough to squeeze a an hour or two out of the cat, but the tension that had begun to form between them always seemed to push her away. Whether for good or bad Shark didn't know but that didn't stop the surfer from debating on how to get close to Lioness the next go around. Shark would keep trying until Lioness made it clear what she was feeling. Shark rolled over, back under the water, and coasted over towards the side of the pool. Pulling half of his body over the side, Shark kicked his legs to keep steady as he reached for some equipment in a case left by the pool. Lee had administered some new aquatic "toys" specifically for Shark to experiment with.

The surfer pulled out a pair of gauntlets from the case and carefully put each around his wrists and forearms. As they latched into place, a fin came out from each strap along with tubes that were fitted into his hands. Shark grabbed hold of the devices and curiously examined them before snatching up his water breathing helmet. With helmet and gauntlets in place, Shark pushed off from the side back into the waters with a slosh. He dove back underwater and inspected the rather impressive looking equipment. Unfortunately, the swimmer didn't know how to operate his new toys.

"How do these work again?" Shark asked himself under the water with a cock of his head.

Mr. Lee was rather notorious for explaining how new objects worked during a presentation but always failed to leave any written instruction behind. Looking to the device in his hand, Shark gave a shrug before pressing the blue button at the top. The gauntlets vibrated as they turned on but then Shark was suddenly jerked forward when the propulsion system activated. After some disorienting pulling and jerking, Shark finally put his arms forward to speed through the pool in a straight line. His triumphant "YAHOO!" was cut short when the pool wall rapidly approached. With terrified yet excited eyes, Shark gave a shout before thrusting his arms backwards to slow himself to a stop. But in doing so, the downward motion caused him to spin in a melee of arms and legs.

In his struggle to reorient himself, Shark pressed a second red button on the device. Thrusting his arms forward in just enough time, several gadgets on the gloves changed and glowed before a wave of energy emitted from the gloves in a dull echoing rumble. A torpedo made of compressed air and water thundered out from Shark's hands pushing the swimmer back from the force. The torpedo whizzed through the water before it hit the wall of the pool in an underwater explosion. Shark flinched with a guilty smile as a large dent like hole was left behind.

"Whoops," was all Shark managed to say in response, grateful that the pool was underground.

Shark sheepishly swam to the surface after deactivating the gauntlets. Swimming back to the pools edge and hanging on for support, Shark took off his helmet. He shook out his hair to have the warm air of the pool cool his face. The smell of chlorine returned to his nose. Shark placed his helmet on the concrete before pulling himself out of the pool with a grunt. He sat at the edge and looked again at the gauntlets now more knowledgeable of their capabilities. The swimmer then got the idea that this could be an excuse to get Lioness down into the pool and have her play around with him. Shark didn't know everything about the gauntlets yet but they could experiment together. And if Lioness didn't find the "toys" interesting after she tried them out, getting Lioness in her swimsuit was good enough for the surfer.

In response of being taken out of the water, the fins retracted back into the gauntlets as did the hand device. Shark nervously held out his hands as they did, just in case something else decided to shoot out of them, but when they returned to normally Shark gave a grin.

"Cool," was all he could say about them. Now just an accessory to his arm, Shark left the gauntlets on and got to his feet.

With the wet slap of his feet on the concrete, Shark walked over to the bench and picked up a towel. With a quick shower Shark returned to the pool side and rubbed his hair with the towel, leaving it in a state of spike towel head that matched the swimmer's quirky personality. In a new set of clothes, Shark headed across the pool and threw his towel in the dirty laundry basket. It landed on top of the other garments but threatened to spill onto the floor from the overabundance of dirty laundry. Shark gave a moaning sigh at the over filled basket. Granted that most of the towels were his, it still meant that the surfer would have to do the laundry. Shark gave a slump of his shoulders before gathering all the fallen towels and putting them together before picking up the basket.

"I always get stuck with the laundry," Shark complained to himself as he stood back up with a mountain of clothes blocking his vision. Struggling to see past the heap, Shark made his way to the stairs trying not to trip in the process. The team would have to invest in a second laundry room.

Upstairs, the boredom and tension of the wet prison sentence could be felt throughout the living room. Despite the potential disaster that it could cause, the entire team except for Shark occupied the space. Having spent most of the day doing their own thing in their rooms, the team had cabin fever and chose the living room as their best bet for entertainment. Lioness sat on the window bench off to the side of both the kitchen and living room, utterly bored out of her mind. The storm that was flooding the city had prevented her from doing anything productive. The itch for the riders to go out was becoming unbearable. And it's not like they even had an excuse to go out. Ever since the bridge incident Paine seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

Lioness gave a groan as she watched the raindrops slide down the window pane. Being stuck in the house was one thing, but being stuck in it with four rowdy boys was driving her up a wall. It also didn't help that her feelings for Shark and Axel had yet to sort themselves out. And these feelings seemed to cause unneeded awkwardness and confusion between her and the boys and even between the boys themselves. Just thinking about it gave the cat a headache. Lioness closed her eyes and lay back on the pillows exhausted from doing nothing. Over in the living room, Hawk and King were starting to get loud. Lioness turned her head to watch as Hawk and King grabbed onto something and began yanking it back and forth. Eventually the pilot won and, while waving his prize in the air, went pale as King pounced on him to try and wrestle the object away.

Lioness rolled her eyes. It was that kind of commotion that helped create all the tension that was filling the house. Only a few minutes ago Axel, Shark, and Hawk were all playing around when for some reason things turned for the worst. Their fooling around turned into rough housing which lead to an unusually riled up Shark and Axel who almost started going at it. Lioness believed that if she hadn't intervened they would have started throwing punches. Axel had remained but Shark had gone off downstairs, most likely for the pool. The cat couldn't help but feel that she was somehow unconsciously involved in the scuffle.

The thoughts of the incident led Lioness' eye over towards the table where Axel was sitting studying up on something. Any possibility of interaction with him was cut short as the warrior ignored all the commotion around him. In order to concentrate Axel had isolated himself from everyone. It was one of Lioness' least favorite traits. The air in the room was still thick and someone could burst out into another argument at any moment. Unwilling to think about it anymore, Lioness got up and grabbed King's vacant laptop. Bringing it back over, she sat down with the computer on her lap hoping to try out his new DJ editing software. If he had fixed the glitches she might be able to come up with some new inspiration for her beloved Capoeira. As Lioness snuggled in, she put on some headphones and attempted to drown out the boys in the background. It was going to be a long, long day.


	13. Messy

It was not long after that Shark made it to the top of the stairs with his heaping basket of laundry. Gaining over confidence in his accomplishment up the narrow staircase, Shark was helpless to stop a towel from sliding out and falling to the living room floor. The swimmer stuck out a foot and managed to catch it on his ankle even though that only seemed to make the situation worse. Over on the window bench, Lioness furiously stabbed at the keypad in her lap with her finger. Not only was Hawk and King's bickering loud enough to break through her headphones but Axel had also refused to do anything to quiet them down. But worst of all, the software she was working with had begun to glitch when she was only moments away from completing her painstakingly hard work. Lioness' urge to throw the computer was quelled when she was distracted by Shark's appearance from the stairs.

_Why does he always have to do things in the most complicated way possible?_ Lioness thought as she watched the surfer drop a towel, and instead of trying to pick it up, catch it on his foot and continue walking. For one thing, it wouldn't kill Shark to make two trips and second, why he didn't take the elevator on his way up? The cat didn't mean to scowl at the surfer but at the moment she was rather judgemental.

"Dude, this is killing me," Shark mumbled to himself as he awkwardly hopped/walked across the living room.

Shark attempted to kick the towel back into the basket but only made the garment more likely to slip off his foot and onto the floor. Trying to manage the situation, Shark peered around the pile of laundry hoping to find a clear path through the furniture and humans walking about in the living room. Hiding in the swimmer's blind spot (aka directly in front of him) King gave a notorious smile as the opportunity for harassment and laziness approached.

"Yo Shark," King suddenly said. Caught in surprise Shark gave a small "Aah!" coupled with a flinch at the sound of King's voice. Several more pieces of clothing then fell to the floor at the sudden movement. Shark gave a sigh as he looked to them and noticed King's feet near him. Shark didn't bother to look up as he bent down to try and pick up the clothes without putting down the basket.

"Yo dude," Shark grunted distractedly as he tried to gather the clothes without spilling the rest which seemed ready to slide out at any moment. King scratched his chin with a smile as he held something behind his back.

"Since you're headed over that way, do you mind dropping off our latest paperwork in the office? Thanks," King asked then thanked.

Without waiting for a response the tech genius stuffed a few folders of paperwork and attachments into the laundry so that Shark couldn't deny them. The manila folder at the top of the pile began to slip as the surfer tried to step back in protest. Seeing it begin to tip, Shark quickly grabbed it by his mouth before it could spill all over the floor. King quickly left in the same manner he had approached, and almost just as quickly, Hawk appeared seemingly out of nowhere before Shark could continue foreword. Still observing from the sideline, Lioness knew that this wasn't going to end well for the swimmer.

"While you're at it, you forgot to clean up after lunch, it's your turn remember?" Hawk began as he thrust dirty dishes and half filled cups into Shark's already full hands. "You'll go right by the kitchen so just put it on the counter."

Shark attempted to say something but it was inaudible from the folder in his mouth. Hawk disappeared just as fast as King, leaving Shark struggling to juggle all of the objects in the middle of the room. Shark felt something begin to tip within the pile and he tried to lean with it so that it wouldn't fall. But as he did, the one foot tripped over the towel now wrapped around his ankle, causing him to stumble off towards the side. Unable to see Axel sitting in the chair, Shark bumped into it and tripped. Axel managed to shout in annoyance as the swimmer fell forward, throwing everything up into the air. There was a thud as Shark hit the ground coupled with a sharp snap of the basket breaking.

Afterwards there was nothing but silence and the fluttering of papers still floating down from the fall. Having been in the direct path of Shark's artificial landslide, Lioness tried not to move. The cat was covered in dirty laundry scattered with food bits and splashed with whatever remnants of a drink there had been in a cup. Lioness tried not to scream out in rage as she ripped a towel off from her head. It was then that she looked down to her lap where the laptop had been covered in the juice. The computer sparked with a fading buzzy noise and the screen went black taking with it all of her hard work.

"No! No! No!" Lioness shouted as she grabbed the laptop trying to reel it back from technical death.

The computer gave one last _whrrr_ before it was useless. Infuriated, Lioness got to her feet and tossed the device onto the bench forgetting that her headphones were still attached. The cord yanked, pulling the headphones out of place causing Lioness to jerk before the cord snapped. The jolt then forced her to step on a plate and fork. On the floor recovering from the fall, Shark sat up and noticed the disaster. The swimmer gave a weak smile.

"Whoah, sorry kitty" was all he managed to say.

Lioness regained her balance after cursing from the fork in her foot and held the broken cord in her hand. The cat's eye twitched with rage. Covered in a mess, all work completely destroyed, and now broken headphones and a bleeding foot, Lioness gave a ferocious shout as she tore off her headphones and threw them at the laptop with a crack. The woman snapped._ This is not the time for jokes!_ She wasn't a kitten! Her nickname was Lioness! Why couldn't Shark just get that one thing right!? Shark got to his feet just in time for Lioness to whirl around towards him with full fangs.

"Yeah, I didn't mean-," Shark began to apologize but was abruptly cut off as Lioness pounced.

"Yeah," Lioness ferociously mocked, "You didn't mean anything! God Shark, can't you do anything right?"

The blonde went stiff, utterly shocked at the pure rage that was steaming from the cat. Shark had never seen such aggression and frustration in Lioness eyes aimed at him like this before. It was on a whole different level than anything he had experienced. But Lioness was upset, Shark couldn't blame her. Maybe if the cat calmed down a little she would see it was just an accident.

"It's just another-," Shark started to joke but Lioness threw out her hand.

"Stop! Just stop! No more of your stupid childish jokes! Don't you ever take anything seriously!?" Lioness screamed.

Shark quickly went quiet. His smile disappeared. There was a harsh twang in his heart.

"All you do is joke around and do nothing all day but swim and eat! Try having some responsibility like everybody else!"

The cat then proceeded to try and make her way across the mess but only became more enraged as she tripped and stumbled several times in embaressment.

"Stop wrecking everybody else's lives!" she screamed.

Lioness's flaming words engulfed the living room until they finally sent the entire house on fire. The flames couldn't stop spreading.

"I don't know why Mr. Lee even let you join the team in the first place! For the love of God Shark you wrecked your car the very first day!" the cat finished.

Lioness stormed out of the living room enraged and upset. King, Hawk, and Axel all watched her stampede down the hall before slamming her door shut so hard that it knocked a picture of the wall. The team was stunned into silence. None of them thought that the one to explode next from the tension would have been Lioness. Axel looked back to Shark who was still facing the empty window bench. The warrior gave the swimmer a small glare before jumping up from the table after Lioness to cool her down.

"Lioness, wait!" Axel yelled as he disappeared around the corner.

King and Hawk, still stunned into silence, carefully looked back to Shark who was still standing with his back to them. The two looked at each other before quietly leaving the disaster zone, awkward for having witnessed it. Some harsh things had been said, but nothing that one of them had not thought to themselves at one point in time before.

As the flames died down, the aquarium building, verbally burnt and charred to ash, became quiet. Shark stood there looking at the floor and the mess he had created. Laundry was scattered all around him. The basket was broken with a crack down the side as if from the eruption of Lioness' rage. Cups and a few utensils could be seen through the layer of clothes. Crumbs littered the scene with a few stains of a liquid Shark didn't care to identify. Covered in the invisible ash, papers were scattered out from their folders sticking up and crumpled under heavier objects with some lying on top. The laptop remained on the bench, its screen cracked with the pair of headphones on the keyboard. It was a mess. It was messy much more than what just lay on the floor in front of the surfer.

Shark lowered his head so that his hair covered his face and shadowed his eyes. The rain outside hummed against the window pane trying to find a way inside. Shark felt his heart shatter. He watched as the sparkling pieces fell to the floor. Lioness words about him were felt to the very bone. Shark didn't need to be reminded that he was often seen as the screw up, the lazy carefree rider. But that was ok. He liked to see people smile. He would take the blame. With a single towel remaining in his grasp, Shark squeezed his hand into a fist. He liked to make people laugh. It didn't matter that he often buried his own feelings in order to play the clown. Use it as a way to try and escape all of the troubles that weighed him down. One had to laugh to keep from crying right? Every joke had a purpose after all.

Shark clenched his teeth. Was that really how Lioness felt? Had he been so blind not to notice it before? Did everyone on the team feel the same? The silence and the mess at his feet gave Shark his answer. The surfer often felt like a nuisances, a burden to the team every once in a while. It was no secret that many of his antics brought annoyance and a test of tolerance but . . . never before had he felt so alone within the house. Shark relaxed his fist allowing the towel to slip from his grasp and fall to the floor.

_Do I really wreck everyone's lives?_


	14. Blade

A single light was left on within the large empty room. Within the spotlight lay a smooth and black piano. Sitting at its keys was none other than Paine. He kept his eyes closed as his fingers worked their way across the keys. The soft yet dramatic sounds of Beethoven filled the room. Paine chose it specifically as a tribute to the Alpha team and their unhappy future he was about to create. A series of heavy footsteps entered into the room before the figure of Flesh could be seen at the edge of the spotlight. Paine automatically sensed the large man's presence and rested his hands on the keys, annoyed with Flesh's poor choice of timing.

" What now?" Paine barked as he opened his eyes and turned his head around towards the man.

Flesh gave a small jump as Paine abruptly stopped his performance. The humanoid had a small box in his hands that was covered with a cloth.

"Uhh, here Paine. I got what you asked for," Flesh said as he held out his arms in the light for the criminal to see.

Paine carefully turned around somewhat expecting his subordinate to have the wrong object in his hands. But as Paine saw the veil and the box like shape underneath it, he greedily smiled. The fabric was an old worn purple color with an insignia on it. Paine quickly got to his feet and walked over to Flesh. With his retreat from the piano, the lights of the room brightened back to their original settings. Flesh began to relax as Paine's excitement grew. Paine carefully folded back the cloth in Flesh's hands to reveal an old wooden box that was beautifully carved and stained. He then carefully put his hands at the edges and raised the lid to reveal what was inside.

On the black velvet lining the bottom of the box were three gems. They were a whitish yellow and sparkled like diamonds in the light. They were very small and cut in circular shapes. Paine carefully reached in and picked up one of the gems holding it between his forefinger and thumb. He raised it to the light and watched a rainbow nearly dance across his vision as he looked through the crystal. With eyes sparkling like a child's at Christmas, Paine gave a dark chuckle as he put the gem delicately back into the box.

"Nice, very nice," Paine commented as he turned and walked toward a table across the room.

On top of it was an object covered with a black cloth. Paine quickly tore it away to reveal his gauntlet resting upon a stand. Refitted, repaired, and adjusted, the glove was brand new.

"I'm sure you remember this, don't you Flesh?" Paine said as he reached forward and removed the glove from its holder.

Flesh gave a hard swallow. It was hard to forget the moment when Paine first used the weapon upon the helpless rider Shark. The weapon with green light that sucked away all energy and left nothing but unimaginable pain behind was quite memorable.

"I was able to make a few adjustments since the last time I used it," Paine continued as he fitted the glove over his hand. He opened and closed his fist, listening to the leather and metal creak and stretch with his movements.

"Do you know why I sent you to steal these valuable mineral crystals?" Paine asked as he turned back around and walked over to Flesh who had remained in the same spot.

Flesh shook his head. Paine once again stood in front of the man and carefully removed the crystals one by one, placing them into special crests that had been carved into his glove.

"They are composed of a very rare mineral found in meteor fragments. It's only a one in a million chance that the meteor will retain the gems after it hits the earth. And we know how incredibly hard it is to find meteors, let alone ones of the right composition and size to create the crystals," Paine said as he inserted the last one with a small click. "The properties of the crystal have the ability to refract and reflect my touch of pain in a way that increases its power tenfold."

Paine held out his hand to look at the glove. A green light began to glow within the seams of the glove as Paine activated his power. The glove began to surge and when the light hit the crystals an even more powerful light began to glow. Green and white sparks began to furiously pour out of the glove. The sparks turned into electricity that fused into lines up and down his hand. The lines grew longer and thicker as the greenish electricity flattened. There were several sharp cracks as streaks of artificial lightning flashed out of the glove to hit nearby electronics and pop several lights bulbs in the room. Paine concentrated and concentrated as hard as he could until the sparking slowed and the beam of electricity stabilized.

Paine's eyes became a hellish white lightning green as he lowered his hand. He was entranced by the sight. Over Paine's hand, a short blade of energy hummed over the glove. A greenish after glove could be seen around the white energy blade that engulfed his hand. A vibrant green also lined the crevices of the metal gauntlet where the light began to dim further up his wrist.

"Beautiful," Paine said to himself as he moved his hand to watch the blade mimic his movements.

Paine was unable to clench his fist or separate his fingers if he wanted to keep the current running throughout the sword. Paine carefully waved his hand to watch how the sword bent and moved. It was a bit stiffer than if he had held a blade but in return it was likely to be three times deadlier. Just a mere touch would deliver painful consequences.

"I wonder," Paine mumbled to himself as he lowered the sword in thought. _How did it work?_ Paine glanced over to Flesh who was also entranced by the energy sword.

"Flesh, hold out the box," Paine order as he watched a few small sparks come off the glove when he shifted the position of his wrist.

Flesh obediently held up the box obliviously to Paine's intentions. Paine quickly gave a shout and slashed across Flesh's forearms. The humanoid screamed in fright and jumped back. He then dropped the box and fell to his knees. Flesh would have cradled the two burn marks across his arms if it weren't for the fact that he could no longer move his hands and fingers.

"Amazing!" Paine laughed as he stepped back and looked from the sword to Flesh. "Quick Flesh, tell me, how does it feel?"

Hunched over on the floor, it took Flesh a moment to get through his shock.

"I-I, I can't feel my hands," Flesh mumbled.

The humanoid looked to his hands, unable to move them.

"I can feel my elbows on my legs but anything beyond the burn, I can't feel anything."

Paine opened his fingers, disturbing the beam, so that it flickered and cracked and dissipated.

"Really?" Paine replied as he bent down next to Flesh looking over the man's burns.

Flesh's fingers began to twitch once again but as Flesh regained the ability to move each and every nerve felt as if it had been stabbed with a needle.

"And when you made contact with it, how about then," Paine questioned again, more concerned about what his new weapon was capable of.

Relaxing his hands in order not to stimulate the stabbing pain, Flesh felt a pounding ache fill his arms and hands below the cut that came as a consequence of the pain.

"It felt like I ran into a bar of lightning," Flesh said. "It was like this heaviness passed through my arms, thick like a ghost. And then soon after I couldn't feel my hands and I dropped the box. I couldn't move anything below where you cut and when I did it was like each nerve in my hand was pinching and I couldn't move it."

Paine gave another laugh as he stood to his feet and put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Very interesting. So the sword passes through the body like an invisible knife. The pure energy of the blade acts like a surge of localized electricity rendering all nerves touched by it useless. And with my glove, the wave of energy instantly saps all strength and energy from that part of the body." Paine explained to himself.

"And as the body tries to recover, and nerves reconnect, it only worsens the situation, not only rendering the limb completely weak but leaving a pain so intense its crippling. I wonder how long it lasts?"

Paine looked down to Flesh and reactivated his glove. It took a moment for the electricity to gather into strands and form back into the energy blade but 0no doubt in less time than it did before. Paine then pointed the saber at Flesh's head. The humanoid went rigid and slowly turned towards his leader.

"I bet if this went through your head the electricity would not only render you unconscious but possibly give you a stroke," Paine began to say rather darkly.

Flesh's eyes went wide as Paine kicked his tingling hand which caused a ripple of pain through his arms. Flesh fell back in a cry as Paine kicked his shoulder to turn the man towards him. Paine then proceeded to point the blade at Flesh's heart.

"And if I pierce your heart, you'd probably have a heart attack."

Flesh swallowed hard but relaxed as Paine gave another chuckle and turned away. Paine watched as his energy blade crackled before disappearing again. He wiggled his fingers in anticipation.

"Get up Flesh, We've got a present for that cockroach Manning and his team," Paine wickedly laughed before walking away.


	15. Regret

The living room was silent when Lioness reentered. She had taken a good thirty minutes to cool her head. Axel had attempted to talk to her in the beginning after she left but Lioness quickly sent him away. Lioness barely understood what she was feeling, so how could she possibly try to talk to someone else about it? After reflecting on her blowout for a while, Lioness realized that Shark's mishap had been an accident, a rather frustrating and annoying accident, but an accident nonetheless. The more the cat thought about it, the more Lioness realized she had said some terrible things to Shark, some very awful things.

Lioness felt a strong need to apologize to the surfer. The woman had not meant all the horrible things she had said to Shark. Lioness didn't mean to yell so loud. Normally she was always so calm and collected sassy and level headed. It was just her being stuck in the house, thinking about her feelings for Axel and Shark, and then having everything just go wrong all at the same time. Lioness had snapped at the worst possible moment and directed it all onto the one person who didn't deserve it. Lioness still remembered the stunned look on Shark's face when she had attacked his character. It nearly broke her heart.

But there was a small smile in the corner of Lioness' mouth as she looked around the living room for the blonde haired swimmer. She would make it up to him. Glancing around the living room, Lioness noticed King and Hawk still on the couch. The two had glanced her way when she had come in but quickly ignored her, afraid that her wrath was still very fresh. Lioness was slightly embarrassed that they had witnessed her uncharacteristic explosion but it seemed like none of them held much to it. After all, they had not received the brunt of the cat's bite. They also understood what she was going through. And it was not so invisible to Hawk watching from the sidelines that Lioness had begun acting strange around Axel and Shark.

Hawk continued to read through a magazine as King flipped through the channels on the television. Lioness noticed that Shark was nowhere to be found. Her smile died down at the realization. She walked back down the hallway to Shark's room and it was empty. Checking a few more rooms, Lioness still could not find the surfer. The cat walked back into the living room somewhat confused. She ended up wandering over towards the table. Lioness stopped as she came up to the window bench. She gave a small smile as she crossed her arms over her chest.

On the bench, the laptop, although broken, had been neatly closed and set to the side. On it were the headphones, the cord neatly coiled with the broken end next to it so that it wouldn't get lost. The laundry had been folded and placed in the basket, whose broken edge had been forcibly put back together. All cups and plates had been cleaned, spills and stains removed, and the folders neatly stacked back into their proper place, papers included. Lioness put her hands on her hips. Shark must have cleaned it up after she left. The cat had been so wrong about the surfer. The thought only made Lioness more determined to apologize and make up for her outburst. This time she wanted to be the one to make Shark smile and laugh. Lioness turned back towards the other riders on the couch.

"Where's Shark?" she asked looking to King then Hawk.

Noticing that Lioness was feeling better, Hawk gave a shrug of his shoulders. King put down his arm and motioned back behind him with a thumb.

"I think he went to the garage," King said as he tossed the remote onto the coffee table.

Lioness had no need to question them. Everyone on the team tended to go out riding or working on their vehicles whenever they were feeling down. It was part of what normally made them all get along so well. Lioness gave a quick "thanks" before jogging over towards the stairs. Her ponytail bounced with her step. The cat didn't even think to use the elevator as she hurriedly tapped down the steps, rounded the corner and then rode the rail the rest of the way down the stairwell. She jumped down off the rail with another smile as she entered into the garage.

"Hey Shark I-,"

Lioness went quiet when she realized that the garage was empty. There was nobody practicing or fixing a car or bike. Looking around, it was then that Lioness noticed Shark's yellow and blue MTX motorcycle missing. The floor around one of the hangar doors was also wet where Shark had opened it up to the rain. Lioness' excitement immediately dimmed and disappeared. The cat's smile faded and her shoulders relaxed when she realized what she had done. Her words had hurt Shark so bad that they had driven him out on a ride. And not just any ride, he was willing to risk going out in the storm. Lioness gave a sigh that was so heartfelt it could have been mistaken for a cry.

Lioness grabbed onto the stair rail as she suddenly felt woozy with guilt and regret. Sitting down on the stairs, Lioness closed her eyes and put a hand to her face to calm herself down. Had her harsh words made the decision of her heart for her? Had she just ruined everything? Lioness pulled her hand over her mouth to stifle her breathing that threatened to turn into another cry. Her eyes became glossy for a moment when she realized how hard she had messed up. After few moments, Lioness cleared her throat as she got to her feet once again. She looked to the bikes as if they would help her and then to the garage door where the rain rhythmically thumped against the glass.

Lioness walked over to the window of the door and looked out of the foggy pane. She gave a squint of her eyes to try and see through the darkness and mist. The cat wiped off the fog on the window and saw that it was still raining but the darkness of night made it nearly impossible to see anything else. The only thing she could make out was the fuzzy glow of the streetlight further on. It would be impossible to find Shark in this weather. Lioness banged her fist against the cold glass and clenched her teeth. The cat then slowly put her forehead against the window. It was cold and soothed her hot blood. Lioness closed her eyes and felt some hair fall into her face.

"Shark," she softly whispered to the empty garage.

Lioness flattened her hand against the glass and slid it down closer to her face.

_I'm so sorry_


	16. Reckless Thoughts

The rain pelted Shark's yellow suit as he raced down the street. The drops rolled off the fabric, creating a light mist trailing behind him as he rode through Landmark City. The wind howling past his head was dulled by the steady pat of rain against his helmet. The lights of the city cast a dim glow about him as he passed by shops and restaurants all closed because of the flooding. The single beam of light from Shark's bike did little to break the haze of rain in front of him. Water soared up from his tires like wings as he passed through what seemed to be an endless puddle. It was dangerous to be riding out in such conditions but Shark didn't care. It didn't really matter. He had to get out. He couldn't stay in that house any longer.

The visor of Shark's helmet reflected the street lights one by one as they streamed across his vision. The rumble of the road underneath him and in his hands helped to soothe his heart. The rain was cold against him as Shark glided down Main Street without any real goal or destination in mind. He just needed to get away from it, all of it. His cool ocean blue eyes were hot as he remembered Lioness shouting at him, throwing all of her fury onto him. Part of Shark's soft blonde hair was pushed onto his face under the helmet but he didn't bother to fix it.

The rumbling of the road began to quiet as Shark slowed down to a stop in front of a red light. Putting a leg down for balance and sitting up off his bike, Shark looked at the empty street across from him.

_Was it true, everything she had said?_ Shark thought to himself as he waited, feeling the rain douse his body. It was a strange feeling, staying completely dry under such a flooding rain, especially at a time when he wouldn't mind getting soaked.

_Was it a mistake that I had been allowed on the team?_

Shark watched the rain wave past him in sheets across the orange glow of the road. He then looked up to the sky hoping to see the stars or the moon. There was nothing but a blurry splatter of rain against a backdrop of clouds.

_I know that King never really liked me._ _I know that Hawk gets fed up with my antics, and Axel looks down on me sometimes and Lioness. . . _

Shark closed his eyes as if he could feel the rain falling onto his face.

_Do I really wreck everyone's lives?_

Shark lowered his head and placed his hands back onto the handlebars. With a silent switch red gave way to green as the light once again allowed Shark to roam the streets. The surfer gave a reeve of his engine before he sped rather hastily out of the light. Shark leaned lower onto his bike as the rain pelted against him harder than before. The puddles sloshed higher from his wake as Shark passed by. The loneliness of the road darkened out the city as Shark found his mind more and more focused on the possible truth of Lioness' words.

He's eyes were straight on the road but his thoughts were far from the streets. He could only think of every mistake, every prank gone wrong that had negatively affected a mission or the team. Shark drove faster and faster through the streets as he remembered the bridge and as he remembered Lioness. Those soft golden lion like eyes. They had changed the moment he had fallen into those dark waters. Shark had seen it, that change in their relationship, the moment when he had looked up at Lioness while dangling off the bridge. In that brief moment, Shark had been able to ignore everything, the pain, the chaos, the drama of the team, everything that blocked his view of the woman. In that single moment, he realized that there was nothing that he would have wanted to see in his last moments than Lioness. Maybe that was the reason why he smiled before losing his grip and falling into the water.

_I love her_ Shark admitted with his thoughts.

But as his feelings became true Shark remembered how Lioness acted after he had recovered. She ignored him, avoiding hanging out. She didn't want to be alone together. Lioness had flocked to Axel. Her harsh words at the window bench rang in his ears again. Maybe in that moment, when Shark realized on the bridge that he loved her, Lioness saw it to. And when she saw it, the cat realized that their relationship could no longer be what it was in the past. Lioness wouldn't even give him the chance to express himself.

_I love her,_ the rider thought again as his eyes began to grow hot once more. Shark lost sight of the world dangerously speeding past him.

_But she doesn't love me_

Shark closed his eyes tightly. Was it true? Was that the reason why she had avoided him so blatantly? Did she have feelings for someone else? Did she have feelings for . . . Axel?

Shark raised his head back to the road when he realized how tight his grip on the handle was and how fast he was driving. Shark was so caught up in his thoughts that he had not realized he was speeding towards a red light. Glancing to the side, Shark could see a tractor trailer heading straight for the intersection. With the speeds he was going, Shark knew that the driver would not notice him in time. They were going to crash.

Panicking, Shark immediately put on the brakes as hard as he could to send a flash of red light and a screech into the air. Hydroplaning on the flood water, it took all the strength Shark had to control the bike. The vibrations shot through his hands all the way up to his shoulders. Shark gave a shout as the bike swerved out of control towards the middle of the street. With only one option left, Shark turned the bike to its side forcing it to skid sideways. Shark leaned back as far as he could, and using his leg, managed to bring the bike to abrupt halt. Simultaneously, the semi gave an ear shattering honk as it blew past Shark only centimeters away from his face.

Shark's eyes were wide and his body frozen in fear as the rush from the truck swayed him to the side. He had been so close that the spray of the puddle was created _behind_ him. Shark's heart nearly pumped out of his chest as the truck instantly vanished from his sight leaving the empty road in front of him. It indicated just how close the truck had come to plowing him over like a landslide on a wildflower. The rider had been only milliseconds from dying.

Shark's bike fell to the ground as the surfer fell back onto the road, terrified. The rider's hands shook as he leaned against them hardly able to keep himself propped up. Shark realized how he had almost killed himself with his recklessness. With only the rain and orange glow of the street lights as a witness, Shark lie back on the flooded street and put his hands to his visor. He had almost lost everything in a single instant.


	17. Opportunity for Revenge

Lioness sat on the window bench looking out into the night once more. Again she watched the raindrops slide down the window as if nothing had ever happened. Lioness leaned into the wall and brought her knee up to her chest. The cat watched as the rain slowed down to a drizzle through the glow of the street light. The rain was light, like a mist. Lioness gave a sigh, worried about Shark driving around in the rain but also worried about the mental state he had left in. Lioness' eyes looked off into the distance somewhat ignoring the figure that came over to her.

"Don't worry Lioness," Axel said as he leaned against the wall across from her. His head was tilted towards her to indicate the confidence and softness of his words. "Shark will be back."

It had become clear to Axel that Lioness' guilt traveled far deeper into her heart than she would have admitted. It showed just how much the cat cared for their mutual friend. Axel wanted to comfort Lioness but found it bitter sweet to do so. Axel did not deny that, like his yellow counterpart, he had developed feelings for the woman. And who wouldn't? She was strong, graceful, smart, and beautiful. Lioness was the perfect partner for a fellow rider like himself. Axel had kept his feelings to himself of course. Dating a team member was probably not the wisest move to make.

It was possible that all of the guys in the team had thought about it at some point during their time together. Lioness, after all, was the only female in a group of rowdy men. Axel had been aware of Shark's interest in the cat since the very beginning and had become somewhat jealous on more than one occasion. Axel chose to take a different, more subtle approach than Shark and hoped that it would win Lioness over. And for the last few weeks the warrior's plan seemed to have worked. Lioness had avoided Shark and drifted towards him instead. At that time, there was a change in the cat's behavior that had allowed Axel and Lioness' relationship to strengthen. And to prove Axel's point, just a few hours ago, he and Shark almost got into a fight. If the underlying affection for Lioness would not have been there, Axel knew that the whole situation would have blown over more smoothly.

But as Axel watched Lioness settle from the aftermath of her frustrated intolerance, the warrior realized that maybe things were not as clear as he thought they had been. There was a look in the cat's eyes as she gazed out the window that told him Shark still swam through her thoughts as potentially more than a friend. Axel hated to see the cat so dismayed and yet at the same time he did not want to give up the fight for her affection. Lioness looked away from the window towards Axel where the warrior smiled at her. The cat gave a weak smile in return and spoke, trying to sound happier than what she actually felt.

"Ya, he'll have to if he ever wants to change clothes again," Lioness tried to joke.

Axel gave Lioness another smile before taking his leave. He could tell that the cat was still needed more time to think. Lioness watched as Axel passed King and Hawk and walked down into the hallway. The cat then looked back out through the window.

_I'm not worried about him not coming back_ Lioness thought as she reflected upon Axel's words. _I just don't know what to say to him when he comes back_.

Somehow Lioness felt that a simple apology wasn't going to be enough to make amends. The woman got up from the bench and thrust her hands into her pockets. Lioness kept her eyes to the floor as she meandered over towards the couch. Her troubled thinking was cut short as a beeping noise suddenly filled the room. King threw up his head recognizing the tone as an incoming call from Dr. Lee. He quickly jumped to his feet and ran over to his laptop and turned on the screen. Hawk and Lioness followed after him while Axel came back into the room. An image of Dr. Lee appeared on the monitor.

"Alright team, I hope you're ready to get back into the game," Lee said through the video link. "Paine was sighted about twenty minutes ago by the river patrol at an abandoned warehouse just west of the James Jr. Bridge."

The team exchanged grim glances at the location. It was none other than the same warehouse they had stumbled upon before. An unrivaled seriousness came over the team as Axel put a hand on the table and leaned upon it.

"Got it ML, leave it to us," Axel said.

After a nod from Lee the video was terminated. Axel stood back from the table while King turned to the rest of the team. Axel looked to each of them. The weather was no longer relevant.

"Gear it up team," Axel said to the others. They all gave a sharp nod. It was time to reclaim the city and take revenge.

There was a flurry down the stairs as the team slipped on their boots, turned on their engines, and put on their helmets. The garage door shuddered as it opened with metallic hum before a set of three headlights appeared in the darkness. King, Axel, and Lioness soared out of the garage on their bikes. Behind them, Hawk stepped out and adjusted his helmet.

"Well this ought to be fun," he sarcastically commented as the rain soaked him head to toe.

With a click and a burst of energy Hawk jumped into the air after the others with his jet pack. Not even the threat of lightning would stop him from going to this fight. The rain did little to hinder the team as the wind whipped past them. As the team raced down the flooded streets, Lioness glanced to Axel who was in front of her. She opened up the communicator line between them.

"What are we going to do about Shark?" Lioness asked through the crackle and static that the storm caused. Axel broke in to answer her.

"I'll tell him to meet us there. Hopefully he's not too far away," he said.

There was a flash of metal and a rumble of engines as the team turned off for the warehouse. The rain refused to stop, even as the team raced off to confront Paine. It was unbiased as it continued to soak the city.

The steady light tap of the sprinkle against plastic was the only thing Shark could hear as he sat underneath the cheap tarp of a corner store overhang. With his bike next to him propped up on its stand, Shark sat underneath the tarp, letting the neon glow of the closed sign bath the side of his suit. The puddles around him and the spray from the rain made it hard to stay dry. A drop of water rolled off the tip of Shark's hair as his helmet rested at his side on the concrete.

Having had his life flash before his eyes just minutes before in his near death experience with the semi, Shark sat on the wet pavement thinking about how close he had come to death. The incident had put things into perspective for him. Shark looked out into the rippling puddle just beyond his foot. Maybe all of the things Lioness had said were true. It was possible that on occasion Shark was a burden to the team but so had the others been from time to time. They all made mistakes. They all botched a plan or two over the course of the team's existence. Shark also remembered the times when the team got along perfectly, when the house was alive with laughter and fun. If Shark truly was a burden, then why did his memories hold more good than bad? Sure he could be a pain in the butt, but that was his job.

Who else but Shark could take the heat for the team, turn their misfortune into reason, and shift their troubles to happiness? Shark smiled to himself. If the day ever came when he was more of a burden than a reliable team member, he would walk out of the door himself. What Lioness had said was out of rage. She was frustrated, upset, and tired of all the tension that had been growing in the house. Shark also admitted to himself that he was probably part of the problem. The surfer was being too hesitant about the way he felt. Shark raised his head to look out into the street in front of him.

In that moment when the truck flew past him, Shark realized that what he felt for Lioness was genuine. If Lioness was not interested, Shark would accept it and move on. But the swimmer knew that he would never forgive himself if he kept what he felt to himself. Lioness was avoiding him, but for what he could not be exactly sure. Shark clenched one of his fists. It was time to stop second guessing and hesitating. His window of opportunity was closing. If Lioness was drifting away from him, Shark was going to make sure that if she left, she would leave knowing the truth.

The rider's new resolve was interrupted as a feint voice came in through the communicator. Shark looked down to his helmet, and upon realizing that it was his team, touched the new communicator that had been built into their suits after the incident on the bridge. The line was activated

"Shark, Shark, are you there?" Axel said through the line.

"Yo, Axel?" Shark replied, not used to the new system yet.

"Shark, Paine was sighted by the river in Warehouse 7. We are heading there now. Meet us there as fast as you can."

Shark's hand tightened on his suit. The thought of the abandoned warehouse stirred the lingering rage in the rider's heart. He wouldn't be taken surprise by Paine again.

"I'll be there Axe-man. You can count on me. Shark out," the surfer replied as he hardened his gaze.

Putting on his helmet and getting to his feet, Shark kicked up the stand to his bike and squeezed the handlebars. This time Shark knew it was his turn to protect the team.


	18. Loose Traction

The rumble of the engines died as the Alpha Team came upon the familiar warehouse. Axel swung off his bike and took off his helmet. Lioness followed suit and laid her helmet on the seat. The roar of Hawk's jet died down as he finished his aerial sweep, unable to see anything more than the rooftop and trees. The pilot landed next to Lioness and retracted his wings.

"I have no visual but my infrared caught movement inside," Hawk quickly informed.

Lioness gave a nod as they walked up next to Axel. King was the last to follow as he also came to Axel's side. The four stood side by side looking at the warehouse. The feint traces of a sunrise lingered below the forest light. Despite the breach of the sun over the horizon and its colorful display, the team was focused and serious. The breeze flowing over the river found its way to the team. It picked up some of Lioness' hair and rustled their colorful protective suits. The team watched the building, that same building that brought back harsh memories. The building was in an even more decrepit condition as remnants of the team's earlier struggle against Paine lingered on the burnt walls and scattered debris.

Hawk was the first to walk forward towards the building. Axel and King followed but Lioness held back a moment. The cat gave a half turn towards the dirt road they had used to get to the warehouse. Lioness was hoping to catch a glimpse of the yellow MTX but there was nothing but the dirt and rock of the empty road. Hawk gave a quick call to her as he stepped back to wait for her. Lioness pulled out of her thoughts and quickly jogged over to the others.

"Shark better hurry up and get here or the fun is going to start without him," Kind said as he gave voice to part of Lioness' worries. The cat did not appreciate the tech genius' use of the word "fun" considering the circumstances that had unfolded the last time they were here.

"Shark will be fine," Axel replied as he stopped at the front door. "For now, we will just have to handle this ourselves."

There was an eerie silence as Axel quietly pushed open the front door, knocked loose from their last engagement with Paine. Axel looked to everyone to make sure they were ready before grabbing his tag blaster. The team pulled out their own blasters, normally referred to as tags by Shark in an attempt at a little dark humor. The team filed inside, staying quiet with their eyes and ears open. The warehouse was even darker inside than it was on their first visit. The team stayed close to the deteriorating walls. Being the last one in, Lioness held her tag close to her chest and glanced back through the front door before going in to far. There was still no sign of Shark.

A moaning creak came up from the floor and the team held their breath and froze. After a few moments with no other noise to follow, the team quickly broke off into groups of two. They searched the nearest hallways making sure never to get to far from the opposing group. After several minutes of searching the only place left to search was the assembly room. It was probably the team's best bet to find Paine if he indeed was in Warehouse 7. The two groups rejoined and stealthily made their way to the assembly room. After making sure the coast was clear the team entered onto the assembly line. It was spookier than usual. The scratching of the team's sneakers against the concert echoed up into the rafters. Axel relaxed a little when it seemed the coast was clear and the team put away their tags.

"Alright team, we should-," Axel began to say but was cut off as a rush of air passed over the team followed by a crash.

The riders raised their arms to protect their eyes from the dust that had been knocked loose as the hanger door was knocked in. As the dust began to settle, Lioness looked up to see Paine and Flesh in the doorway. Off to the side there was another loud bang as Spydah fell down from his perch and landed with his metal legs onto the machinery. There was a strange pulse as Spydah activated an EMT to disable the tags. Paine gave a dark smile as he looked over to the riders. He caught eyes with Axel who clenched his teeth in response.

"Nice to see you again Manning," was all Paine had to say as they glared at each other. Paine raised his hand and clenched his gloved fist in anticipation of the fight.

"You know what to do team!" Axel yelled from the front.

Hawk, Lioness, and King all gave a nod before the team jumped into action. Closer to the riders, Spydah gave a shout before leaping off of the machine. The metallic legs landed in the middle of the advancing group, cutting the team apart. Lioness and Hawk were forced to stop as Spydah turned towards them. The minion wasted no time in his first attack slashing forward with two legs, one for the pilot and the other for the cat. Hawk jumped to the side in a rolling dodge while Lioness back flipped out of range. The cat gave a silent snarl as her eyes flashed in the light. Lioness saw her chance and rushed forward before jumping into a series of flips. Her agile form managed to get close enough to the human spider to deliver a swift kick to the gut.

Landing directly below, Lioness had enough time to roll out of the way of a spiked leg and straight into the path of another. Using his jetpack as propulsion, Hawk suddenly flew in from the side and managed to shove Lioness out of the way of the attack but not in enough time for him to completely dodge it. The wing of the pilot's pack was cut as the metal leg sliced through it. The impact jarred the riders, sending both tumbling across the ground with sparks and a bit of smoke. The two riders were left in the aftermath alone as King stood in a standoff with Flesh. With their latest battle of brute force still fresh in their minds, the two body builders readied themselves for the confrontation.

Flesh gave a small growl before rushing forwards. King matched the humanoids challenge and rushed forward to meet him. Going hand to hand, King tested his strength against Flesh's, but this time, came up short. Flesh gave a yell and managed to pull King to the side just enough for the beast of a human to release one of his fists and throw a punch at the rider. King was forced to break away and take the hit but managed to throw up his arms in defense. The hit sent King skidding back. Lioness quickly appeared beside him after avoiding another metal leg.

"Where is that fool Shark?" King said more so to the team than just himself. He was annoyed because it became clear that Shark's presence would have given the team an advantage. Somewhat out of breath, Lioness gave King a glance as she stepped up next to him.

"He should have been here by now," Lioness added from the side. And indeed she was right. Unfortunately for the team, lady luck was not on their side.

Shark put a leg down to steady his bike as he slowed to a stop in front of a guard rail. Out beyond the rail was the river and the bridge. With the drizzle of rain blurring his sight through the visor, Shark removed his helmet for a better look. Red and orange lights softly blinked in the distance across the bridge. Shark could still see piles of rubble, caution tape, and orange and white barriers scattered across the bridge. Shark gave a small curse under his breath. He could see the feint glow of light within Warehouse 7 just below the bridge on the other side of the river.

"They still haven't fixed the bridge," Shark said. The rider debated his next move since he was unable to continue down his current path.

Shark never saw how badly the bridge had been damaged in the fight and thus thought the repairs would have been finished. The surfer would now have to ride all the way back through town to get across the river another way. Shark began to feel a bit rushed. If the team had encountered Paine, they were going to need him sooner rather than later. Shark clenched his teeth before putting his helmet back on. The surfer leaned into his bike once again and spun his bike around with a screech before taking off down the road again.

"By the time I get there the party will be over already!" Shark muttered with both annoyance and worry before giving a sharp turn down the street.

Anticipating the loose traction and slip of the flooded road, it was easy for Shark to manage the treacherous conditions. Water once again splashed up as Shark took to the streets, focused and ready to finish the ordeal with Paine and get to what he truly had his sights on. Following the orange signs for the detour, Shark finally found his way across the bridge. Shark squeezed the handlebars tighter and popped a small wheelie before disappearing into the tunnel that would lead him to the other side of the river. The echo of Shark's engine overruled the static of the communicator as it lost its signal.


	19. Time is of the Essence

Axel slammed into the machinery of the assembly line after Paine charged the warrior with all of his strength. Axel struggled to hold Paine's hand away from his head. Sweat dripped off of Axel's brow. The warrior's hands shook as he tried to keep the energy blade away from his face. The energy sword buzzed and crackled dangerously close to Axel's nose. From across the floor, Lioness caught sight of her friend struggling against Paine.

"Axel!" Lioness called as she sprinted over to help.

But the cat was cut short as a dumbbell slammed into the ground in front of her, nearly splitting the foundation in two. Lioness was forced to stop and duck to the side as Flesh slung the dumbbell towards her, creating a gigantic gash in the concrete. Axel was left to fend for himself as Paine stared him down with a grin.

"How do you like it Manning, my new weapon?" Paine asked with a wicked grin splashed across his face.

Axel strained to keep the blade away. The warrior was forced to push harder as his arms lower into his chest against the man's strength. The blade was so close now Axel could feel the heat threaten to burn his skin. Catching onto Lioness' call, King found an opening to rush to their leader's aid. King gave a shout and jumped over the machinery and almost made it to Axel before two metal legs smacked him square against the chest. Spydah swatted the rider across the room. Axel followed King's hit with his eyes but the warrior could do little else.

"King!" Axel yelled but was forced to look back into the face of his own opponent as Paine pushed harder into him.

"You should worry about yourself Manning," Paine threatened.

The powerful man then retracted his blade while grabbing Axel's shirt and throwing the rider away from the machinery. Axel skidded to a halt, catching his balance, before reaching up for his communicator embedded in his suit. Axel didn't have time to open the line as he quickly jumped away from the energy blade that slashed the outer muscle of his arm, cutting and burning his orange and black suit. Axel did a back flip to escape another slash.

"Shark! Shark!" Axel yelled through the communicator.

Axel winced as the invisible cut on his arm began to sting like nothing he had ever felt before. But Paine would allow no luxury such as rest. The man hurled himself forward with his blade sparking like lightning. The sword crackled and glowed in the dim light. Axel had enough time to jump back as the blade skimmed his stomach, burning the fabric of his suit, merely a hairs breath from his skin. As Paine took a few extra steps from the leap, Axel took his chance to strike. The rider crouched down and put his hands together. Feeling the energy build, Axel threw his hands forward.

"Jo-lan cho'batsou!" he yelled as he pushed the white energy into Paine's stomach.

Paine was thrown backward with a grunt. Axel fell to one knee, his arm more tired than usual. He lifted a hand to his communicator while trying to catch his breath. Paine's new weapon was a force to be reckoned with. They needed Shark's help now more than ever. Axel wiped some blood and sweat from his lips as he tried to calm down and asses the fight and their chances of winning.

"Shark! Where are you? Get to the warehouse now! Shark can you hear me? Shark!"

So far Axel had gotten nothing but static through the line. The warrior had not heard from Shark since the surfer's last confirmation. On the opposite side of the warehouse, Lioness smacked into the wall and fell to her knees. The cat could feel it in the fight. Something was different about Paine and his goons this time around. They seemed much stronger than usual. It didn't help that Paine had this strange new glowing blade and the extra body of their team, that was supposed to be Shark, was missing. Lioness gave a gasp as she looked up to see a metal leg straight for her face. Spydah had been too quick on his counterattack for her to defend herself. Lioness braced for impact as the flash of steel reflected in her eyes.

Once again, Lioness felt nothing. A suit, as blue as the sky, suddenly filled her vision. Hawk had jumped in front of the attack and was struggling to hold the leg back from hitting Lioness. Spydah gave a wicked sneer as he activated an upgrade to his metal contraption. A series of spikes suddenly jutted out from the metal leg.

"Hawk!" Lioness shouted.

The short spikes dug into Hawk's arms and chest, piercing his suit, and causing several spots of blood to appear across his arms and ribs. Hawk winced from the stabbing but did not let go of the leg. The pilot managed to glance back to Lioness in a wince.

"Move!" Hawk shouted to snap the cat back into reality.

Lioness clenched her teeth at Hawk's wounds before using her rage to fuel her fists. Lioness jumped to her feet and kicked away another leg that came for Hawk and used a third as a hanging bar to fly through the air like a bird and deliver a punch to Spydah's helmet, cracking several of the glass orbs. Spydah was forced back and Hawk released his grasp with another wince as the shallow spikes were removed. Lioness also fell to the ground from the recoil and scrambled back to her feet, fighting through a limp. The cat ran over to Hawk who had fallen to a knee trying to hold one or two of his punctures. He would live, but the team was beginning to realize the difference in strength.

"Axel! We need to retreat," Lioness called to their leader as she helped Hawk to his feet.

"We can't!" Axel said as he shakily stood to his feet. The warrior glanced back over to the hangar and office doors he had quickly inspected during the brief moment of rest from Paine's stagger. "Paine's blocked off all the doors from the other side! He really wants to do us in this time!"

Catching the hawk and cat off guard, Spydah sent another spiked leg flying towards them. Lioness pushed Hawk into a duck and covered him with her body. The spiked leg went overhead but the duck was not low enough for the spikes as they grazed Lioness' back, tearing the suit and flinging a bit of blood. Lioness gave a shout but continued to protect Hawk should another leg soar overhead. Axel cursed and went to help but was stopped as Paine shouted over to him.

"I told you Manning, you're opponent is me!" he screamed.

Paine threw out his gloved hand with a spark and buzz of energy, igniting his energy blade again. This time the blade hummed and sparked little, now fully adjusted and broken in. The man charged Axel who was forced the return the challenge. The two engaged in a series of Jo-lan arts and swordplay moves. Axel managed to jump over Paine in a flip but not before the energy blade came so close to Axel that it cut through his suit once again. Axel landed and looked down to see that the communicator had been cut in half.

_Shit_ Axel cursed as he raised his eyes. They were going to have to finish this alone.

Outside of the warehouse, the orange lights of the tunnel streamed across Shark's helmet. They cast a shade of black and orange over all those traveling within. Shark narrowed his eyes as he raced through the dark tunnel. There was a strange feeling welling up in his chest, one that caused his MTX to ride faster. Something was going on at the warehouse, Shark cold feel it in his bones. There was the crackling of static inside of Shark's helmet. Shark held his breathe and waited to see if a voice would be able to break through but the rider had no such luck. The walls of the tunnel were too thick.

Shark lifted a hand off the handlebars and touched the communicator embedded within his suit close to his heart. The crackling stopped as Shark turned off the communicator. He turned it back on in an attempt to reset the line. More static filled his ears. Another brave driver was travelling through the tunnel and Shark was forced to put his hand back on the bike to adjust out of the way. Once the vehicle was clear, Shark put a hand to his communicator again.

"Axe-man, can you hear me?" Shark asked through the line. The feeling in the pit of the rider's stomach had grown to tighten his chest.

"Axel?" Shark asked again but there was still no response. Shark gave an annoyed huff.

"They better be alright over there," Shark muttered to himself.

The rider could now see the glow of the rain at the end of the tunnel. Shark's hope was quickly razed when there was a sudden pop through his helmet and chest line. Shark gave a flinch at the noise as the static suddenly broke through and then went silent once more. Shark reached up to his chest again to check the line but there was nothing, no voice, no static, the line was completely dead. Instantly, Shark knew something had gone wrong at warehouse 7 just like it had done before. The sense of emergency running through his veins could not get any higher.

Shark gave a hard pull to the engine, sending up a squeal and throwing the bike into a small wheelie , as the MTX went full throttle. There was a whirlwind of water and leaves as Shark sped through the tunnel. As the rain once again began pelting him on the other side of the tunnel, Shark weaved through a small spot of slow traffic. As a car honked on approach, Shark lifted the bike up onto the hood of the car before soaring over it without a second thought. The rider slammed back into the ground almost perfectly before soaring off down the road now only seconds from his destination.


	20. Blow for Blow

There was a streak of yellow down the dirt path as Shark rode up to the abandoned warehouse. Shark pulled hard onto the brakes, swinging his bike to the side to stop it even faster. A loud screech announced his arrival but there was no one outside to hear it. A cloud of smoke and dust washed over the rider as he put up the stand and nearly jumped from the bike. Shark tore off his helmet and caught sight of the rest of the team's bikes off to the side. Shark quickly ran to the door as the light of the rising sun began to reflect off of the river behind him. Shark looked to the bikes as he passed. He gave a silent sigh of relief that they were untouched, but at the same time, a shiver ran down his spine. Shark stopped just outside the front door as he caught the sound of yelling and crashing. The battle had already started.

Shark violently knocked down the door and jumped into the dark reception room. The surfer hurriedly glanced around, listening to the throngs of battle, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It only took a few seconds for the surface to follow the echo and dart through the doors towards the assembly room. Shark's suit once again glowed in the darkness as his legs furiously pumped and drove him down the hall. The crashes grew louder and the yells became more unique and clear. The rider could hear the names of his teammates and feel the shock of the crashes as the floor boards and weak plaster walls shook with each hit. Already high on adrenaline, Shark skidded to a halt at the Assembly door. It had been blocked with debris to prevent escape.

With a curse, Shark furiously threw off the pieces of broken furniture, pushed away plaster, and kicked over wooden posts to clear a way to the door. Shark grabbed the handle only to find that it was locked. Shark looked up to the door and clenched his teeth as a familiar yelp of pain made it through the door. Shark grabbed tighter onto the handle and used it as a prop to throw himself repeatedly against the frame. The old wood could not hold up to the surfer's strength, and the door broke open with Shark's third attempt. The surfer stumbled into the assembly room and tried to stop himself from falling to the floor. As he regained his balance, Shark had enough time to flinch as King soared over him and hit the doorway the surfer had just come through. The large rider fell to the ground with a grunt. Shark quickly looked back to him somewhat confused unsure of what was going on.

"Ouch," King grunted as he struggled to push himself off the ground. The rider then glanced over to Shark with one eye. "It's about time you got here."

Shark may not know what had happened but one thing was for sure: As Shark looked upon his friend there was nothing but dust, blood, and a torn suit to cover him. King's state told Shark that the team had been fighting for quite some time and, as far as battles go, the Alpha Team was on the losing end. There was no doubt in Shark's mind that the rest of the team was just as bloody and broken. The surfer quickly ran over to his teammate to help but was stopped as King shouted and threw out an arm. Without hesitation, Shark obeyed and jumped as a metal leg came sweeping underneath him. The rider quickly landed on his feet to turn and counter but was too slow. Spydah already had another leg lined up in anticipation and, as Shark turned, caught him in the chest like a bat to a baseball.

A light spray of blood dotted the room as Shark was flung through the air until he hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Spydah gave a snicker as he watched the rider fly, surprised at how his new spikes really caught the flesh and allowed for a better throw. King gave a yell in outrage as he ran forward and grabbed onto the metal leg and pulled Spydah to the ground. Shark gave a silent scream as he rolled onto his stomach clutching his chest. Shark managed to get to his knees and hold himself up with an elbow as he looked down to the arm around his chest. It was spotted with blood. The spikes on the metal leg left several large cuts across the surfer's stomach and lower ribs.

A small sense of panic filled the surfer as he looked to his chest. The bandages and trauma from the bridge began flashing before his eyes in a sudden episode of post traumatic stress. Shark closed his eyes and tried to fight through the episode and hot burning sensation that now began to blanket his stomach. A sharp ache from old wounds also began to return to haunt the rider. Across the room, Axel had heard the crash as the door was forced open by Shark. He had looked in enough time to see Shark stumble into the fray. Axel smiled to himself despite the situation. A glimpse of hope and relief had filled the warrior at Shark's appearance but his entrance had also been classic, goofy, unbalanced Shark.

Axel had been unable to watch any further as the energy blade cut so close to him that it burned a shred of his hair. The sudden flinch by the warrior threw him off balance as the back of his heels knocked into some equipment. At the same time, Paine let out another slash but once again missed as Axel fell to the floor. But the momentum of the slash sent the blade cutting through a short tower of metal beside them. The metal creaked and bent as its strength was lost and burned by the power of the blade. The supporting beams buckled underneath the weight of the machine and fell down on top of the warrior enough to trap him.

Axel gave a yell as he struggled to get free. Paine gave a wicked smile at his fortune and quickly held up the glowing sword for a free hit. But Axel was not alone. Freeing herself from her battle, Lioness quickly intervened. While Paine was distracted, Lioness whirled into a roundhouse kick to the head that knocked Paine to the side. Lioness quickly followed with a barrage of thrusts and kicks to keep the man stumbling back but trying to knock Paine off his feet was like trying to kick over a tree. The woman was fast and agile but she lacked the strength necessary to completely debilitate him. Thus by swinging his sword a little, Paine was able to keep the woman at arm's length and recover from the strike, and even managed to cut through the cat's hand in a missed punch.

"Lioness!" Axel screamed as he tried to push the machinery off of him but the metal was too heavy.

Hearing the shout, Shark looked up from the floor towards the others. He saw Paine shift focus and go after Lioness who began to have difficultly as her hand was shocked and now useless. Even with Paine's glove in Shark's eyes the surfer saw past the glowing blade and into the direness of the situation. Lioness flinched as a pain, unlike any other she had ever felt, filled her hand and forced her to grab onto her arm. Paine took the opportunity and struck her, pinning the cat against the wall before throwing her to the side. Glancing to the sides, King and Hawk were giving it everything they had to keep the two goons away. The team was under a serious beating, and with Axel temporarily removed from the equation, it was only Shark and Lioness left to handle Paine.

Fighting through his fears, Shark removed his arm from his bloody chest. He would protect Lioness no matter the cost. The feelings he had resolved to tell her while sitting underneath the trap in the pouring rain would not be wasted. This time it was Shark who felt a fear for his friend's life and he would do everything in his power to make sure that Lioness and his friends would live to see the end of the storm. Their days of riding through the streets of Landmark City did not end here. Shark got to his feet and ran over to help Lioness. This time he would save her.

Lioness fell back as the energy blade cut through part of her thigh. Lioness felt an immense stabbing pain that ran through her hand as she moved it. She could now see that the blade cut in a manner unlike anything she had ever seen. This terrible sharp ache in her hand would no doubt run through her leg whenever she tried to move it. This weapon was far more brutal than a stabbing and more debilitating than a taser. Exhausted and wounded from the prolonged fighting, Lioness tried to push away from Paine along the floor as he began walking towards her. Lioness could see it in Paine's face. He meant to torture her in front of Axel before finishing them off. The cat was scared. This was the first time Paine had been so serious about defeating them. This battle between them was no longer a game. It was truly life or death.

Lioness stopped her struggling as a small breeze brushed by her face. It picked up the loose strands of her hair that had fallen from her ponytail. The strands swayed in front of her yellow eyes as Shark skidded to a halt in front of her. With his arms up in a mock boxing like position, Shark was ready to defend the cat. Paine stopped when the surfer suddenly slid in front of the woman to block his path. The man gave a smile when he realized who it was. Paine was almost happy to see Shark up and conscious again. After all, the rider would be the only one to feel all three levels of his special pain transmitting talent. With Shark's death, the glove and blade would be complete.

Paine lifted up his glove and blade higher so that Shark could make the connection between the glove and the sword. Shark gave a small flinch as the wounds across his stomach burned when he remembered the last time he had come face to face with Paine. But the surfer gave a small smile. He looked back to Lioness who was tired and weary.

"Don't worry, I gotcha'," Shark whispered just loud enough for the cat to hear. He gave a small wink and a smile.

Lioness' heart jumped for a moment and began pounding with a familiar ferocity. It reminded her of the time on the bridge when she had desperately pleaded to Shark to hang on. And yet at the same time, the cat felt completely at ease with it: Like she could believe in the surfer, like he was truly honest and of the utmost confidence. She believed that this time, he was going to protect her. Lioness could see it in Shark's eyes.

_He is going to protect me, care for me . . . lov-_ she thought but was interrupted.

Paine gave a yell and sprinted forward in excitement. Shark felt his body tense. How was he going to defeat such a powerful sword made of pure energy that could inflict enormous amounts of pain to the body? The rider wasn't a physicist or an engineer. Raising his arms closer to his chest, the only thing Shark could do was tighten his fists. But as he did so it activated a familiar contraption on his wrists and arms. Shark quickly glanced down to the aquatic gauntlets that he had left on since the pool. Instantly, Shark knew that this was his only option against the sword.

Shark would get one shot, one shot made of compressed air that would be strong enough to send Paine flying through the roof. Shark had to be careful. He had to be smart. The bullet would be small. It would be only too easy to miss. The surfer would have to wait until the very last minute, until Paine was at his closest. They would have to be eye to eye, within arm's reach. Paine gave a shout as he lunged forward with his arm stretched out like a spear. The whitish green energy sparked with the thrust and a sudden surge of extra energy. Shark yelled out the same while turning the gauntlets on and spinning the tubes in his hand towards Paine.

Shark flinched when he felt something graze his chest but went full force in his charge as he threw out his arms into Paine's chest. For a split second their gazes met before an explosion and shift in pressure caused the air around them to billow and bend. There was an instantaneous sharp crack followed by a wave of energy that sent the ground shaking and blew back dust and debris caught in the boom. Catching the air torpedo straight in the chest, Paine was blown back into the air in a violent spinning motion. As he soared like a rocket, Paine clipped a metal crane and fell into the office buildings were he razed the plaster walls and hit the hanger door so hard it dented and blew off its hinges. Both Spydah and Flesh saw the unbelievable hit and looked to one another distressed. With their leader out of the way, their confidence and capabilities fell like Paine did out of the sky. The two goons freed themselves from their current battles and headed for the exit after their unconscious leader.

Lioness broke out into a smile at Shark's sudden victory. She laughed to herself after a moment of disbelief. Lioness closed her eyes and laughed again before starting to get to her knees. She stopped on one knee to rest her elbow on it and give another chuckle at Shark's timing. The team was no doubt stronger with him in it, goofy pranks, smiles, tardiness, and all. Lioness knew she had to let Shark know how truly miraculous he had been in the short amount of time he had been there. And of course, she would do so in a joke to match the surfer's own humor.

"It's about time you got-," Lioness began to laugh but stopped when she opened her eyes.

There within the yellow irises, the reflection of Shark was nothing like it was supposed to be. The yellow rider stood motionless, unnaturally weakened. Unable to hold his strength, Shark began tipping forward through the air. All sounds and voices silenced as Lioness watched mortally dumbfound, as Shark collapsed onto the floor.


	21. A Quiet Stillness

Lioness felt a type of coldness within her, a fear that froze her blood and nearly frosted her cheeks. As she sat there on one knee watching Shark fall forward, without a cry of pain or dramatic laugh, Lioness knew that something was wrong. As Shark collapsed onto the ground, a small spray of dust came up from the floor boards. It took only moments for a red pool to begin seeping out from underneath him across the concrete, catching dust in its expansion. Lioness watched the fallen rider. _Was this real?_ Lioness didn't understand. Just a moment ago Shark had been jumping and sliding around, full vigor as usual. The surfer had not even been in the warehouse for ten minutes. It was the subtle but noticeable struggling of Shark's chest and lungs trying to function that snapped the cat back into reality.

Lioness frantically jumped to her feet. She skidded to a halt and fell to her knees at Shark's side, putting her hands on his shoulder and back. She could feel the jagged and uneven breathes even through her gloves.

"Shark!" Lioness called while giving a small shake of his shoulders. "Shark!"

A feeling of dread began filling the woman. The cat was almost hesitant to see what was wrong with Shark. The cat was in a state of shock. This wasn't like the bridge was it? With no response to his name, Lioness rolled Shark over onto his back. His head remained limp and to the side as she did so. Lioness gave a gasp as the yellow suit turned to red in her eyes. It was clear now why Shark had fallen. Across his chest were several slashes from Spydah's spiked legs, no doubt opening old wounds in the process. Above the cuts was a large black stab mark close to the surfer's heart. When Shark baited Paine in the assault, the surfer had gotten Paine within arm's reach, but arm's reach did not include the extension of a sword. Paine had gotten close enough to stab Shark in the chest before being blown back by the jet of air.

Shark was losing large amounts of blood. Lioness struggled to try and stop the bleeding. Shark's breathing was shallow and irregular. Whatever pain filled her hand and leg, it became dulled against her frantic senses. The cat was afraid to put her hands to Shark's chest, lest it might be too much pressure for his lungs. But as her delicate fingers swam through his blood to stop the bleeding, Lioness could feel something wrong. There was an irregular pulse and flow to Shark's heart. Lioness suddenly looked to the burn mark again and quickly put her ear to Shark's chest. The surfer's heartbeat was anything but normal. It was irregular, sporadic, suddenly strong and then weak. The electrical charge of the energy blade had thrown off the rhythm to his heart along with the other organs nearby. Lioness knew that if she could not correct and steady his heart, Shark might not be able to fix it on his own, especially while losing blood and struggling to breath.

"Quick we need an ambulance!" Lioness screamed as she scooted closer to Shark who was starting to sweat. His eyes were closed and his breathing worsened.

Across the assembly room, Hawk stood up shakily from the ground, holding his side and winking an eye that had blood running across it from his head. The team would need more than one. Hawk lifted his free hand to his communicator and opened up the special public line to the emergency responders. Close by, King went over to Axel and threw off the piece of broken machinery that was trapping him. Axel got to his feet and limped over to King, all three of them unaware of what was going on across the room. As far as they could tell, they all needed an ambulance. Lioness brushed some of Shark's blonde hair out of his face and held his head in her hands to try and wake him up. She called to him again but there was no response. The cat shifted her hands to Shark's chest to try and cover his wounds. She tried to remain calm and asses all the damage they had taken.

"Is everybody alright?" Axel yelled to the team. He could see that Shark was lying on the ground with Lioness next to him, but it was still unclear what was wrong.

"No, something's wrong with Shark's heart. It's not beating right," Lioness quickly replied.

The cat looked over to Axel. Lioness' hands shook so hard and her adrenaline ran so high that she could not feel Shark's chest tighten and strain underneath them. The cat caught sight of the other's injuries, especially Hawk who seemed to be bleeding just as harshly as his friend.

"Hawk can you make it?" She yelled over to the pilot.

Hawk gave a wave, signaling that he would survive and that he was more concerned about Shark.

"Shark?" the pilot called over to her in question.

Hawk was just as afraid as Lioness that old wounds had opened, that it had been too soon for the surfer to get back into the job.

"He's losing a lot of blood but if we can get an ambulance I think he'll be alright!" Lioness responded but like a jinx, Lioness' face suddenly stiffened.

There was an odd softness underneath Lioness' hands. It was a stillness that told her Shark's blood no longer flowed. A pulse of realization echoed throughout the woman's body, causing her own heart to skip a beat. Looking into the cat's eyes, Hawk could see that something had gone terribly wrong. Ignoring the drip of sweat from her cheek, Lioness shakily looked down to her friend.

Shark's heart had stopped beating.

_No, it's . . . it's not possible_ Lioness thought as she gazed upon the surfer in utter shock.

Plaster dust covered Shark's hair and his blue eyes lay closed. The rider's own blood covered his torso like a blanket. His yellow suit was burned and torn, helpless to stop the damage that had been done unto him. Shark was motionless. He was . . .

"No, no no NO!" Lioness muttered as she leaned forward to hold Shark's head in her hands again.

The cat frantically glanced over the rider before shifting her hands to Shark's chest where she began to push against his heart in CPR. Tears fell from her eyes as she glanced from her hands to Shark's face and back to her hands. With each pump, Shark moved slightly with the pressure, but with each pump, Shark remained motionless.

"Come on Shark, you can do this! Wake up!" Lioness yelled.

The harder Lioness pressed, the more she cried, the more her hands shook. Lioness changed tactics: reaching forward to breath into Shark's mouth, pumping, breathing again, and more pumping.

"God damn it Shark! WAKE UP!" she screamed.

Lioness found her hands growing weaker. Her pumping slowed as the seconds dragged on and Shark continued to lie motionless. The cat's chest shuddered as her hands slipped off of Shark's bloody chest, forcing her to stop and lean over him. Lioness squeezed her hands into fists and bowed her head. The tears streamed from her tightly shut eyes.

"Don't do this to me, don't leave me," Lioness Cried.

" You can't die! . . .,"

"You just came back. . ."


	22. Last Chance

There was a darkness in the warehouse. It seemed like a dream: The flashing red, blue, and white lights, the sirens sounding as if they were still so far away, they were all too familiar to the team. The weight of the bridge from the past and the realization of the present were overwhelming upon the hearts and souls of the team. Just as before, Lioness heard nothing. She saw nothing but the surfer in front of her. Lioness sat back onto her heels and opened her eyes into a far distant look. The cat tried to tell herself that this was a dream, a dream turned nightmare. Shark was just playing one of his tricks on her. She would get angry at the dark humored prank and Shark would wake up and apologize and try to make her smile again.

Lioness leaned forward and put a hand to the side of Shark's face. She held it up a little as if to make Shark look at her. She gave a sad wavering smile and fought through the tears swelling in her eyes. All she had to do was laugh and Shark would stop the joke, right? Lioness held the surfer tenderly in her hand. All she had to do was tell him that it was over, that she was being serious. Shark always knew when to stop when she told him to.

"Ollie," Lioness whispered so soft and desperately that it took nothing but Shark's continued silence to shed the tears in her eyes.

The cat closed her eyes and bowed her head at the unanswered call. Lioness began to cry and no longer had the strength left to hold herself up. The cat fell onto Shark's chest and bitterly wept like a frightened child into a teddy bear.

_Why did it have to be Shark? Out of all people why did it have to be Shark, the goofy one, the one who always smiled? Why did it always have to be the one that enjoyed life the most?_ Lioness thought.

A sudden realization caused the cat to go wide eyed and slowly lift her face from the yellow fabric.

_This is my fault_ Lioness thought. _I drove him away from the house. If I hadn't been so angry we would have all been there when the call came in. We would have all left together. Things would have turned out differently._

Lioness' thoughts retraced the last few hours. Using her arms, Lioness pushed up to hover a little higher over her friend. There was a look of horror across her face.

_The last thing I said to him, was that . . . he should have never been put on the team. He ruined everything he touched. He didn't belong in the house. . ._

The rest of the team, watching from a distance, was in shock. They were too stunned to approach. They could do nothing but watch. Lioness silently rose up off of her friend and put a hand over her mouth to stifle her realization as she looked into Shark's soft face.

_ I basically told him, that I hate him._

Lioness tightly closed her eyes. She managed to stifle her cries with her hand but could not stop the tears from falling. Her words could not have been farther from the truth. Lioness looked away and bowed her head. She used an arm on the ground to hold herself up.

"I never meant what I said Shark. I never meant to say those things," Lioness began to say as she lightly shook her head. Her voice choked with tears and regret.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! You belong on this team! You belong in this house! You belong in my life!"

Again the tears began to fall from Lioness' eyes. The cat stopped shaking her head but dare not open her eyes, too ashamed and overwhelmed.

"I-,"

The cat's words were cut off as something brushed up against her cheek. Lioness' eyes shot open. She looked over to find two eyes looking at her, two eyes that were bluer than the sky above and had more life than the sea below. Shark weakly looked over to Lioness. His eyes were partially open. His gaze was weak but still filled with a fire and brilliance that rivaled that of a diamond. The surfer's chest moved ever so slowly at Lioness' side. His heart had calmed and returned to normal. Little did the cat know that her CPR combined with Shark's will to live proved to be enough to bring the surfer back to life.

After the blade had struck him, Shark had felt the cold darkness seeping in as the warmth of his body flowed out. He had indeed felt a strain so harsh it burned through his soul, and when he could no longer take it, the pain suddenly vanished. It all did. There was nothing but a white and warm presence that washed over him. All the pain and frustration he had felt was gone. It was beautiful. It was heaven. But Shark knew that he had to look away from it. He had to turn back into the darkness and suffer. He had to open his eyes once more.

Shark had made a vow that night while sitting in the rain: that he would tell Lioness everything in his heart. Whether she would deny him or accept him, Shark knew that he could not leave this world without getting his answer and knowing what was in Lioness' own heart. And as he lay dying, Shark could hear Lioness voice. He could hear her even through the pain that filled his every bone and muscle. And as the white light came, Shark hesitated. He chose to turn around and come back. The surfer had opened his eyes to find Lioness crying over him. With a weak and shaky arm, Shark raised his hand to touch Lioness' face. He had to stop her from crying. Shark wanted to see her smile, at least one more time. It was his last chance after all.

Lioness was motionless as she gazed in disbelief into Shark's eyes. The surfer used what little strength he had left to move his thumb to wipe away Lioness' tears and some of his own blood that stained her cheek. Shark gave a weak smile, it was all Lioness needed. The woman carefully used her own hand to hold Shark's up against her face, afraid that it would fall and he would leave her once again.

"Don't worry," Shark whispered to her.

The rider's eyes were careful to hold Lioness' gaze.

"Nothin' but beaches and palm trees," he joked.

Lioness gave a stutter of a laugh, more so at the fact that even now Shark tried to make her smile. And she did, Lioness smiled as the room around them disappeared. The panic in her soul dispersed. Without question or hesitation Shark had forgiven her for everything as if it had never happened. Lioness gave another laugh and brought her other hand to hold Shark's. Again, Lioness began to cry as Shark looked back to her before growing too tired and closing his eyes.

The lights of the ambulances were dulled in the light of sunrise. Lioness was unconscious of the paramedics as they came rushing in to help the team. As they came over to the Lioness and Shark, they respectfully separated the cat's hands from the rider's. Lioness allowed one EMT to help her stand as several paramedics fell to Shark's side. She watched as one after another the team was shuffled into ambulances. Axel and King were paired into one while Shark was given his own. Hawk was put on a stretcher and loaded while Lioness sat down next to him on the side. The pilot removed his oxygen mask and reached out to the cat from the stretcher. Lioness looked down to Hawk as he grasped onto her hand. They both smiled, grateful that they were all still alive especially their mutual friend. Lioness gave another smile and gently forced the pilot back down to rest before the doors to the ambulance were closed.


	23. First and Everlasting

The light warmed the ground as it came through the canopy of the trees. It waved back and forth like shimmering water causing the shadows to dance back and forth in a playful exchange with the light. The branches above, covered in the colors of autumn, rustled in the wind to create a hushed whisper around the rider. Lioness sat on a lonely bench outside of the hospital. She had followed a path through the groove of trees unable to find the strength to go inside and yet her will to stay prevented her from leaving. Lioness' head was bowed with her elbows on her knees as she looked off into the ground. Another breeze brushed by causing several leaves to fall from the treetops.

Lioness looked up from the bench, leaned against its back, and looked up through the trees toward the blue sky above. Her sight of the sky was hindered by the colorful display. But the cat did not admire the leaves or dream into the sky beyond. A faint shadow of a bird flew overhead. Lioness sighed as she closed her eyes. The cat lowered her head and opened her eyes again. Her mind was wandering into dangerous places. At first, Lioness had been happy and relieved to hear Shark say those humorous words to her that terrifying day at the warehouse. But as time began to pass, Lioness began to doubt them. The cat still blamed herself for everything that happened and now her doubt was slowly twisting into fear.

Lioness' thoughts about Shark, a subject that had been subconsciously ever present in her mind, had now become the only thing she could think about. Lioness' eyes were tired as they looked off again into her thoughts. She had gotten little sleep since that morning days ago. She was afraid to sleep, afraid to dream, for if she did, the cat was afraid it would turn into another nightmare. Lioness put a hand to her head to try and cast away the dark thoughts but found that she couldn't. The cat's doubt had reached its peak. Lioness remembered the terrifying moment when Shark had fallen to the ground, his heart had stopped beating, and how he had laid so lifelessly upon the ground.

Lioness leaned forward on the bench again and put her head into her hands. Her heart was aching harder than it ever had before. Despite how Shark smiled at her when he had awoken, Lioness couldn't help but doubt herself and his forgiveness.

"Did you really mean it," Lioness said as she looked off into the grass talking only to the trees.

Shark always joked around and, with something as serious and heartfelt as this, it was hard to tell if he was being serious.

"Or were you just trying to make me feel better?"

The breeze pulled a few strands of hair from the cat's pony tail. Lioness brushed them back, but the strands only fell back into place. Too tired to move them, Lioness merely reached up and pulled out the tie to let her hair loosely fall about her shoulders. Normally she always had it up, but now it didn't seem to matter as much anymore. Lioness leaned back and cuddled into herself. The autumn season was making the air chilly. Lioness silently laughed to herself in a melancholy way.

"Beaches and Palm trees," the cat softly joked. "What does that even mean?"

Lioness small smirk died down at the surfer's unsurprising reference. Shark was too kind to show his frustration and disappointment in her. A simple joke such as that could have been a mere rouse to show his support for her and not his forgiveness. Lioness' doubt and guilt took hold of her as she hugged her arms across her chest. She felt too guilty to even put on a jacket in the chilly air.

"I wish I could take it back, everything I had said," Lioness confessed.

The cat still believed that things could have turned out differently if she had acted differently. If only she had been more confident in herself than maybe she would not have shunned and isolated Shark after the bridge incident. They never had a chance to talk about what had happened that fateful day because she had been too afraid. The unsteadiness of Lioness' heart had caused more pain and torment than she had ever realized.

"But I guess it's too late," the cat muttered.

What was done was done and she couldn't take it back. Lioness could see it, now that it was in the rearview mirror. She had feelings for Shark. She loved him. But because of her words and cold shoulder she had distanced herself and attacked him. Shark would never be able to love her in return. She had been too cruel. Lioness shut her eyes away from the cool breeze. The emotion began to bubble up inside of her now. Her sense of friend and lover had crossed, backtracked, and now, finally broken. Lioness could handle the heartache if Shark did not love her. It would be a rightful punishment for all she had done to him.

But the cat's love was too strong to let him go. What if, after Shark recovered, he took her words to heart and left the team? What if he stayed but wanted nothing to do with her? What if he left and she never saw him again? Lioness didn't think she could handle such a cruel fate. Lioness put a hand to her forehead to hold back her cries. It was all her fault. Lioness didn't want to lose the blue eyed, blonde haired, good humored surfer. Twice she had, maybe more, and yet he had always returned to her. But what if this time, what if this time he didn't bounce back? Lioness didn't want to lose Shark, not ever again. She would accept friendship over her love if that was what he wanted.

"You can hate me all you want, just, please forgive me," Lioness whispered as the guilt took hold. "Don't think that I hate you."

Lioness looked back up into the sky to hold back her tears. After a few moments she looked back straight ahead before tilting her head down slightly. Never before had she felt so foolish of her actions. As if knowing the future, Lioness sadly came to terms with what had happened. Her eyes shadowed when she realized that her chance with Shark was gone. In response, her body relaxed in a defeated sort of way. Her eyes dulled and her spirit weakened.

"But it doesn't matter now, does it," Lioness dully stated. "I hurt you too much even for that."

The high spirited rider who danced in the wind during the throngs of battle, and rode through the streets like a lion on the prowl, beautiful and deadly, had fallen to her knees. Never again would things be the same. The team was going to change. It was inevitable. Lioness made up her mind. If Shark chose to stay despite all that had happened, Lioness would leave the team herself. She would spare them all the drama and heartache. She had been careless and allowed the team to come to disaster. As if talking to the shadow of Shark from her nightmare, Lioness put her hands into her pockets as if uncaring and apathetic.

"Don't worry, you won't ever have to see me again," she coldly soothed.

The trees overhead rustled again but this time with more excitement hidden within their whispers.

"Why would I want to do that?" a voice said from off to the side of the bench.

Lioness' eyes widened at the sound. Her eyes gazed forward at being caught in such an emotional and personal moment but her heart jumped within her chest. The voice that called out to her, soft and playful, was none other than the blue eyed surfer's. Lioness quickly whipped her head up to the side towards the voice.

There, under the tree, with a few leaves falling across his figure was Shark. The rider stood with one arm in a sling. He white over shirt was open to show the bandages across his chest and there was gauze around his forehead. His somewhat baggy pants hung loose across his hips in that classic sleepy manner they always did. And most noticeable of all was the eyes that glittered at Lioness with a smile so warm, it instantly swept away the darkness in the woman's heart without a second thought.

Lioness quickly sat up from the bench and dropped her hands from her pockets. The cat was surprised and shocked to see Shark out in the chilly air and out of the hospital. And yet the cat felt an excitement in her that caused happiness to swell in her heart.

"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Shark explained.

The light coming down from the trees cast a tearful glint to the cat's eyes. She had been afraid . . . so afraid that Shark would leave the team thinking that she hated him. And yet here Shark was, standing before her, in the cool air against the chill of autumn, despite doctor's orders and the aching pain in his joints, to merely get a glimpse of her. Lioness realized that Shark's words were honest, his joke at the warehouse and what he spoke to her now. Lioness could see it in the surfer's face. He loved her. And she loved him.

Shark merely smiled as Lioness' eyes began to glitter. His blonde hair faintly swayed with the breeze. His white clothes rustled from the gentle wind. A silent acceptance passed between the two as all fears and regrets were left behind. Lioness dropped her hands to her side in relief. The smile that had been forged by Shark's playful humor, and long since drifted in her heart since they first met, finally came to the surface.

"I love you Catalina Leone," Shark confessed.

A small laugh escaped Lioness's lips. She wiped away the tears in her eyes. A weight upon the cat's shoulders suddenly lifted. Lioness looked up to the surfer and could no longer hold herself back. The cat would no longer isolate and shun the surfer. Instead, she would love him with all of her heart. Lioness ran from the bench. Shark smiled and opened the embrace as Lioness threw her arms around his neck burying her face into his chest. Shark closed his arms around Lioness and rested his head upon the cat's with a smile. They both closed their eyes as they soaked in the moment, making it an everlasting memory.

They two did not have to say anymore as they stood in one another's arms. The cat then looked up to Shark who in turn looked down to her. The two caught eyes: the one set yellow, like the warm sands of the beach catching every ray of the sun, cooled by the shadows of the green palms that scattered over them. And the other set blue, like the ocean sparkling in the light, quietly lapping at the sands to embrace them with every wave; both different, yet incomplete without one another.

The smiles upon the two rider's lips were replaced as Shark and Lioness finally crossed the line between friend and lover.

There, amidst the falling autumn leaves, the two riders exchanged their first and most heartfelt kiss.

…

* * *

END

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story.

Fun Facts: Original Vs. Rewritten Statistics

Number of pages in word: (32/66)

Number of Chapters: (22/23)


End file.
